ONE  HUND 

YEARS "    "  O 


Division 


One  Hundred  Years 
of  mormonism 


A  History  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints    from    1805    to    1905 


BY, 


JOHN  HENRY  EVANS,  A.  B. 

Instructor  in  Church  History  at  the  Latter-day  Saints'  University 
SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH 


Third  Edition 


Published   by 

DESERET  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  UNION 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 

1909 


Copyright  1905 

By 
JOHN  HENRY  EVANS 


ENDORSEMENT 

Salt  Lake  City,  October  27,  1905. 
President  Joseph  F.  Smith  and  Counselors, 
President's  Office,  City. 
Dear  Brethren: — We,  your  brethren,  appointed  as  a  spe- 
cial committee  to  examine  the  work  zvritten  by  Elder  John 
Henry  Evans  of  the  Latter-day  Saints'  University  entitled 
"One  Hundred  Years  of  Mormonism,"  respectfully  report 
that  we  have  carefully  read  and  considered  the  whole  of  said 
work  and  find  the  facts  therein  to  be  true  and  correct  as  far 
as  our  knozvledge  extends. 

In  style,  the  writing  is  plain,  direct  and  simple,  without 
any  marked  effort  at  literary  embellishment,  and  well 
adapted,  in  our  opinion,  for  a  text-book  in  Church  History 
that  can  advantageously  be  used  in  our  Sunday  Schools  and 
other  Church  institutions  of  learning.  We  believe  that  it 
will  materially  help  our  youth  in  their  study  of  the  great 
latter-day  work  by  making  clear  a  number  of  points  that 
former  histories  zvritten  for  the  young  people  of  the  Church 
have  left  somezvhat  ambiguous. 
Most  respectfully,  we  remain, 

Your  brethren, 

Francis  M.  Lyman, 
George  Reynolds, 
Joseph  F.  Smith,  Jr. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  FIRST  EDITION 

This  volume  was  written  primarily  for  the  young  men  and 
women  of  the  Church,  the  sons  and  daughters,  in  the  main, 
of  those  heroic  souls  whose  deeds  I  have  undertaken  to 
relate.  My  constant  aim,  therefore,  has  been  to  make  the 
narrative  as  interesting  as  I  could  without  sacrificing  truth 
and  accuracy. 

For  the  argumentative  tone  of  passages  here  and  there 
throughout  the  book  no  apology,  surely,  will  be  expected, 
in  view  of  the  pace  in  this  direction  which  non-"Mormon" 
writers  have  uniformly  set.  The  most  recent  attempt,  for 
instance,  at  a  story  of  the  "Mormons"  by  an  outsider  is 
little  else  than  an  argument,  from  cover  to  cover  of  its  more 
than  six  hundred  pages,  against  the  claims  of  the  Church ; 
and  the  animus  of  its  author  is  'not  even  disguised  by 
ordinary  forms.  But,  indeed,  as  the  reader  will  perceive, 
in  this  respect  I  have  followed  my  contentious  "historical" 
brethren  only  at  a  comfortable  dog-trot,  being  satisfied, 
generally,  to  let  the  facts  speak  for  themselves  without  put- 
ting myself  out  of  the  way  to  cast  javelins  after  antagonists. 

As  to  the  sources  of  information,  a  word  must  suffice.  I 
have  read  every  book,  pamphlet,  and  article  on  the  subject, 
"Mormon,"  non-"Mormon,"  and  anti-"Mormon,"  that  was 
accessible  during  the  five  years  I  have  been  engaged  in  Jiq 
preparation  of  this  volume. 

A  committee — consisting  of  President  Francis  M.  Lyman, 
President  George  Reynolds,  and  Elder  Joseph  F.  Smith,  Jr., 
and  appointed  by  the  President  of  the  Church — read  the 
entire  work  in  manuscript ;  and  while  disclaiming  any  desire 
to  shift  upon  these  brethren  the  onus  of  responsibility  for 


VI  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

imperfections  still  remaining,  I  avail  myself  of  this  oppor- 
tunity to  thank  them  thus  publicly  for  the  valuable  sugges- 
tions which  they  have  offered  and  which  I  have  accepted. 
To  other  friends,  also,  who  shall  here  be  nameless,  I  am 
grateful  for  encouraging  words  and  assistance  during  the 
progress  of  my  undertaking,  without  which  One  Hundred 
Years  of  M  or  monism  would  probably  not  have  appeared. 

J.  H.  E. 
Salt  Lake  City,  October,  1905. 


PREFACE   TO   THE   SECOND   EDITION 

In  this  second  edition  I  have  eliminated  the  introduction 
to  the  work  and  added  an  index.  Almost  the  only  other 
changes  are  verbal.  To  the  preface  to  the  first  edition  of 
five  thousand  I  have  nothing  to  add,  except  a  statement  of 
these  changes  and  of  my  gratitude  to  the  public  for  the 
kindly   reception   my   work   has   been   given. 

J.  H.  E. 

Salt  Lake  City,  March  2,  1909. 


CONTENTS 


Chapter 

I. 

Chapter 

II. 

Chapter 

III. 

Chapter 

IV. 

Chapter  ' 

V. 

Chapter 

VI. 

PART  FIRST 


OPENING    OF    THE     NEW    DISPENSATION 


Light  from  Heaven 1 

The  Other  Sheep 37 

Whispering  from  the  Ground 51 

The  American  Bible 73 

From  Out  the  Wilderness 104 

Not  of  the  World 112 


PART   SECOND 


ON   THE  BANKS  OF  THE  OHIO   AND  THE   MISSOURI 


The  Land  of  Shinehah 121 

Zion — Past,  Present,  and  to  Come....  135 

As  the  Stars  Differ 150 

Zion  is  Fled 166 

Hope  Deferred 182 

In   Spirit  and  in  Truth 195 

The  Place  of  the  Judgment  Seat 211 

Traitors  and  Friends 226 

Heralds  of  Grace 235 

Missouri's  Blood-Stained  Escutcheon.  .253 


Chapter 

I. 

Chapter 

II. 

Chapter 

III. 

Chapter 

IV. 

Chapter 

V. 

Chapter 

VI. 

Chapter 

VII. 

Chapter 

VIII. 

Chapter 

IX. 

Chapter 

X. 

Chapter 

I. 

Chapter 

II. 

Chapter 

III. 

Chapter 

IV. 

Chapter 

V. 

Chapter 

VI. 

Chapter 

VII. 

Chapter 

VIII. 

Vlll  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

PART   THIRD 

NAUVOO    THE    BEAUTIFUL 


Rising  from  the  Ashes 284 

"Across  the  Great  Waters" 294 

A  Lull  in  the  Storm 305 

Malevolent  Echoes 311 

The  Seed  of  the  Church 330 

The  Enigma  of  Palmyra 355 

The  Voice  of  the  Shepherd 371 

The  Last  Days  of  Nauvoo 389 


PART   FOURTH 

CHILDREN    OF    THE    WILDERNESS 

Chapter  I.  Westward  Ho! 404 

Chapter  II.  Wayside  Stations 420 

Chapter  III.  A  Ram  in  the  Thicket 430 

Chapter  IV.  To  the  Inland  Sea 439 

PART   FIFTH 

THE    MOUNTAIN    OF    THE    LORD'S    HOUSE 


A  Battle  with  the  Soil 450 

On  to  the  South ! 462 

A  "Fly"  in  the  National  Ointment 473 

A  Long  Wait  for  the  Crown 485 

The  Days  of  the  Underground 500 

Some  Scattered  Fragments 513 


Chapter 

I. 

Chapter 

II. 

Chapter 

III. 

Chapter 

IV. 

Chapter 

V. 

Chapter 

VI. 

One  Hundred  Years  of  Mormonism 


PART  FIRST 

Opening  of  the  New  Dispensation 


CHAPTER  I 

LIGHT    FROM    HEAVEN 

"Mormonism"  very  properly  dates  its  beginning  from  an 
event — the  most  important  in  its  history — that  occurred  in 
the  western  part  of  New  York  State  in  the  year  1820.  But 
before  passing  to  a  description  of  this  opening  scene,  it  will 
be  proper  to  call  attention  to  a  few  points  in  the  general 
condition  of  the  country  at  the  time,  in  the  state  of  society 
and  religion  that  prevailed  in  the  particular  region  where 
this  event  happened,  and  in  the  antecedents  and  boyhood 
of  the  principal  actor,  Joseph  Smith. 
The  Country  in  General. 

Our  nation  was  then  in  its  infancy,  for  not  more  than  thirty- 
one  years  had  elapsed  since  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution. 
Speaking  in  general  of  the  period  from  1789  to  1815 — and 
but  slight  modification  need  be  made  for  the  succeeding  five 
years — Fiske  terms  it  a  third-rate  power,  and  observes  fur- 
ther that  "in  population  and  wealth  it  was  decidedly  infe- 
rior to  the  Belgium  of  our  day,  and  about  on  a  level  with 
Denmark  or  Portugal."  The  inhabited  part  of  the  country, 
over  which  were  scattered  nearly  nine  millions  of  people, 
formed  almost  a  perfect  triangle,  with  the  base  lying  along 
the  Atlantic  seaboard  and  the  vertex  in  Central  Missouri. 


2  ONE     HUNDRED    YEARS     OF     MORMONISM 

Twenty-two  States  made  up  the  Union,  Maine  having  been 
the  last  admitted.  And  beyond  these  to  the  west  ex- 
tended the  monster  plains  and  mountains,  sleeping  in  silence, 
which  the  most  sanguine  of  those  days  never  dreamed  of 
as  worthy  of  being  waked  into  grain  fields  and  pasture  land. 
The  vast  quiet  of  these  western  parts,  now  echoing  con- 
fusedly to  the  din  of  populous  towns  and  cities,  had  not 
been  disturbed  except  by  the  dismal  howl  of  the  wolf,  the 
war-cry  of  the  painted  savage,  or  the  occasional  crack  of 
the  rifle  in  the  hands  of  the  solitary  trapper.  The  eastern 
portion  of  the  country  had  been  for  some  time  free  from 
the  danger  of*  Indian  attacks,  but  tales  of  massacres  by  the 
fierce  and  stealthy  red  man  continued  to  come  from  the 
borderland   of  civilization. 

In  other  respects,  too,  our  country  presented  to  those 
who  lived  during  the  first  few  years  of  the  nineteenth 
century  a  different  aspect  from  that  which  we  look  upon 
who  see  the  dawn  of  the  twentieth.  Philadelphia,  the 
largest  city,  contained  fewer  than  fifty  thousand  inhabitants, 
and  New  York,  Boston,  and  Baltimore  followed  with  even  a 
smaller  population.  Of  these  four  cities  the  first  two  were 
the  trading  centers.  The  locomotive  was  scarcely  more  than 
an  idea  in  the  brain  of  the  great  English  inventor;  Fulton 
had  only  within  recent  years  performed  the  incredible  feat 
of  launching  the  first  steamboat  on  the  waters  of  the 
Hudson ;  and  it  was  to  be  many  years  before  time  and  space 
were  to  be  annihilated  by  the  electric  telegraph.  Hence 
travel  was  slow  and  difficult,  being  accomplished  mainly  on 
horseback  and  by  stage-coach,  the  rude  wagon  of  the  period 
not  having  come  into  general  use.  "It  took  a  week,"  says 
Fiske,  "to  go  from  Boston  to  New  York  in  a  stage-coach, 
and  all  large  rivers,  such  as  the  Connecticut,  had  to  be 
crossed  in  boats,  as  none  of  them  had  bridges."  Hence,  too, 
there    prevailed    in    each    part   of    the    country    a    general 


LIGHT   FROM    HEAVEN  6 

ignorance  as  to  what  was  going  on  in  every  other  part.  No 
national  sentiment,  like  that  which  unifies  the  nation  today, 
bound  together  the  different  States  into  a  compact  whole. 
People  moved  about  very  little,  except  when  they  sought  new 
homes  in  the  West.  Travel  to  foreign  countries  was  rare ; 
during  the  earlier  years  of  the  century,  a  stranger's  presence 
was  always  remarked  upon  in  the  streets  of  Philadelphia, 
and  a  man  who  had  been  to  Europe  was  the  object  of  univer- 
sal envy  and  curiosity.  Balls  were  given  only  in  the  larger 
centres  of  population ;  very  little  attention  was  paid  to  music, 
the  harpsichord  being  the  favorite,  if  not  almost  the  only 
musical  instrument  commonly  in  use.  Theatres  were  rare 
and  almost  universally  disapproved  as  a  source  of  public 
amusement.  Imprisonment  for  debt. had  only  recently  been 
abolished  by  law.  By  far  the  larger  number  of  those  mar- 
velous inventions  that  have  done  so  much  to  bring  the  ends 
of  the  earth  together  and  to  raise  the  masses  to  a  higher 
plane  of  living  were  yet  a  long  way  in  the  future.  In  our 
day  everybody  reads,  if  it  is  only  a  newspaper  or  a  poster; 
in  that  early  period,  few  books,  none  by  American  authors, 
found  their  way  to  the  book-shelf  of  even  the  "best  families," 
and  the  day  of  the  newspaper  and  the  magazine  was  but  just 
beginning  to  dawn. 

If  we  glance  at  a  list  of  the  public  characters  in  1820  and 
thereabouts,  we  shall  find  a  good  many  names  that  are 
familiar  to  the  lips  of  every  American  schoolboy  of  our  day. 
The  august  figure  of  Washington  had  indeed  disappeared 
some  twenty  years  since,  but  there  remained  others  who  had 
performed  a  lasting  benefit  to  the  New  Republic  in  the  recent 
struggle  for  national  existence.  Some  of  the  men  who  had 
signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  framed  the 
Constitution,  might  still  be  seen  on  the  streets.  Jefferson 
and  John  Adams  had  yet  six  years  before  them;  the  death 
of  Chief  Justice  Jay  was  not  to  occur  till   1829;  Andrew 


4  ONE     HUNDRED     YEARS    OF     MORMONISM 

Jackson  had  already  won  those  dashing  successes  which, 
nine  years  later,  obtained  for  him  the  presidential  chair; 
Madison,  the  famous  reporter  of  the  great  convention,  was 
in  his  sixty-fifth  year,  with  sixteen  years  to  look  forward 
to.  The  national  legislature  was  at  this  time  convulsed  by 
discussions  on  slavery,  which  brought  into  prominence  the 
celebrated  trio,  Webster,  Clay,  and  Calhoun,  and  produced  in 
this  very  year  the  famous  Missouri  Compromise.  Washing- 
ton Irving,  "the  first  ambassador  of  letters  from  the  New 
World  to  the  Old,"  had  just  made  a  name  in  England  by 
the  publication  of  his  inimitable  Sketch  Book. 

Across  the  waters  were  some  more  notables.  George  the 
Fourth  occupied  the  throne  of  England.  The  great  victor 
of  Waterloo  was  the  most  conspicuous  figure  in  the  English 
army  and  politics ;  and  Napoleon,  who  but  recently  had  held 
at  bay  the  combined  forces  of  Europe,  was  eking  out  his 
last  days  on  the  lonely  island  of  St.  Helena.  Keats  had  just 
published  his  "Endymion,"  Shelley  his  "Skylark,"  and  "The 
Cloud" ;  Byron  had  become  the  lion  of  England  by  the 
publication  of  those  exquisite  Grecian  lyrics  that  so  signally 
eclipsed  the  author  of  "Marmion"  and  the  "Lady  of  the 
Lake ;"  Scott,  striking  out  in  another  and  original  field,  had 
just  written  one  of  the  greatest  historical  romances  in  the 
language ;  and  Wordsworth  and  Coleridge  were  yet  in  the 
flush  of  their  literary  careers. 

One  other  fact  in  the  record  of  the  period  deserves 
special  mention.  The  administration  of  Monroe,  which 
includes  the  year  1820,  is  characterized  by  historians  as  the 
Era  of  Good  Feeling.  The  nation  was  just  lifting  its  head 
after  the  depression  and  hard  times  of  the  preceding  few 
years.  And  now  for  the  only  time  in  the  history  of  our 
country,  not  only  before  this  year,  but  since,  the  sky  was 
altogether  clear  of  political  clouds.  In  the  election  of  1820 
— the  very  year  we  are  now  considering — there  was  only  one 


LIGHT    FROM    HEAVEN  5 

presidential  candidate  before  the  public,  James  Monroe ;  and 
he  was  permitted  to  take  his  seat  for  a  second  term  with 
only  one  vote  against  him,  and  that  merely  because  of  a 
romantic  notion  entertained  by  one  of  the  electors  that 
Washington  should  not  be  deprived  of  the  honor  of  having 
been  the  only  President  chosen  without  a  dissenting  voice 
in  the  electoral  college.  It  should  be  noted  further  that  a 
new  direction  was  given  at  this  time  to  public  affairs ;  for 
primary  questions  from  now  on  were  to  grow  out  of  a 
universal  desire  for  internal  improvement,  instead  of  war 
as  in  the  past. 

Western  ATew  York  State. 

The  western  part  of  the  great  Empire  State  was  then  in 
every  essential  particular  a  pioneer  district.  Within  the  dec- 
ade lying  between  1810  and  1820,  immigration  had  brought 
into  existence  three  hundred  new  towns  and  sixty  new  vil- 
lages, requiring  the  organization  of  eight  new  counties.  This 
part  of  the  country,  thinly  inhabited  as  compared  with  parts 
lying  eastward,  was  then  covered  by  a  heavy  growth  of  tim- 
ber, which  the  farmers  were  busily  engaged  in  removing  as 
they  had  need  of  the  land.  The  people,  though  possessed  of 
the  characteristic  shrewdness  and  energy  of  Yankee  pio- 
neers, were  mostly  illiterate;  being,  in  fact,  such  a  class  as 
even  in  our  day  have  been  seen  to  push  into  new  districts. 
Their  mode  of  life  was  proportionately  simple.  Most  of  the 
houses  were  small  and  rudely  constructed,  having  been  hur- 
riedly put  together  of  unhewn  logs  but  lately  standing  in  the 
forest.  The  homely  meal  was  cooked  over  the  old-fashioned 
fireplace,  and  eaten  from  wooden  or  pewter  dishes.  The  ex- 
cessive cost  of  transporting  merchandise  from  one  part  of 
the  country  to  another  made  it  necessary  for  the  westerners 
of  this  period  to  content  themselves  with  few  articles  of  lux- 
ury.    Educational   facilities,   as   might   be   imagined,    were 


6  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

meagre.  There  stood,  of  course,  the  rude  log  schoolhouse 
"sunning  like  a  beggar,"  by  the  country  roadside,  with  little 
else  for  furnishing  than  a  few  split  logs,  which,  set  on  wood- 
en pegs,  served  for  desks  and  benches.  The  "master,"  not 
infrequently  a  man  of  small  learning,  taught  on  a  starving 
pittance,  boarding  and  lodging  with  each  patron  of  the 
school  according  to  the  number  of  children  in  the  home. 
The  family  library  consisted  usually  of  the  Bible,  Pilgrim's 
Progress,  Rollin's  Ancient  History,  and  the  well-thumbed 
speller  and  reader.  News  from  the  rest  of  the  world  was 
confined  mostly  to  what  could  be  learned  from  the  weekly 
or  even  the  monthly  newspaper,  which,  owing  to  the  irreg- 
ularity of  the  mail  service,  had  not  unlikely  been  several 
weeks  on  the  way.  In  short,  the  life  of  the  ordinary  west- 
ern New  Yorker  of  those  days  must  have  been  essentially 
the  same  as  that  which  we  might  see  today  in  some  of 
our  western  districts  far  removed  from  the  railway  and 
with  the  conveniences  resulting  from  modern  inventions 
subtracted. 

Religion  played  a  more  important  part  in  the  daily  life 
of  Americans  during  the  first  quarter  of  the  nineteenth 
century  than  it  does  today.  And  this  was  true  in  a  special 
sense  of  the  western  part  of  New  York  at  this  time.  Every- 
body went  to  church  and  read  the  Bible.  Infidelity  was 
looked  upon  with  grave  suspicion,  not  only  that  attitude 
of  mind  which  openly  mocks  at  all  religion,  but  that  also 
which  finds  more  pleasure  on  the  Sabbath  day  in  sport  or 
idleness  than  in  going  to  church.  Religious  disputes  were 
common,  though  questions  of  mere  dogma  drew  more  at- 
tention than  the  fundamental  doctrines  of  salvation  or  than 
any  matter  of  great  moral  significance.  There  were,  in  ad- 
dition, many  people  who  believed  that  the  same  spiritual 
gifts  and  manifestations  of  divine  power  and  wisdom,  such 
as,   according   to   the    New   Testament,   characterized   the 


LIGHT    FROM    HEAVEN  7 

ancient  Church,  should  be  received  in  our  day;  but  this  idea 
was  by  no  means  peculiar  to  this  locality.  Revivals,  when 
there  occurred  a  lapse  in  spirituality,  were  prolonged  and 
enthusiastic.  Historians  of  the  period  have  given  us  graphic 
pictures  of  how  the  people  deserted  their  farms  in  the  busiest 
season  of  the  year  for  whole  days  together  and  traveled 
many  miles  in  order  to  attend  a  revival  meeting.  The  at- 
mostphere  of  this  particular  region  was  therefore  highly 
saturated  with  religion. 

During  the  winter  of  1819  this  religious  spirit  broke  out, 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Manchester,  Wayne  county,  into  a 
revival  of  unusual  proportions.  All  the  churches  in  that  part 
of  the  country  joined  in  the  work  of  conversion,  it  being  the 
understanding  that,  in  the  end,  the  converts  might  embrace 
the  sect  of  their  choice.  This  revival  extended  into  the 
spring  of  the  following  year.  It  began,  we  are  told,  with 
the  Methodists,  but  spread  from  them  to  other  churches 
and  from  the  town  of  Manchester  to  adjacent  towns,  till 
the  whole  country  for  miles  around  presented  a  scene  of  the 
wildest  excitement  and  confusion.  And  this  work  was  con- 
tinued till  everyone  that  had  not  "experienced  religion" 
had  been  either  converted,  or  had  shown  himself  to  be 
beyond  hope.  At  the  time  when  the  excitement  ran  highest 
and  all  denominations  were  striving  for  one  common  object 
— namely,  the  securing  of  the  necessary  change  of  heart  in 
the  sinner — good  enough  feelings  prevailed  among  the 
members  of  the  various  churches.  But  when  the  time  came 
for  the  converted  to  decide  what  sect  they  should  join,  all 
this  peace  and  harmony  strangely  disappeared.  Each  party 
being  anxious  to  increase  its  own  following,  there  was  a 
rivalry  of  claims,  which,  pressed  as  they  were  with  bitter- 
ness, tended  to  confuse  the  minds  of  sincere  converts.  Some 
cried,  "Lo,  here  is  Christ !"  and  others,  "Lo,  there !"  until 
the  wisest  might  well  be  puzzled  to  know  where  the  truth 


8  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS    OF    MORMONISM 

lay.  Each  sect,  moreover,  extolled  its  own  virtues  and  de- 
cried the  virtues  of  every  other.  So  that  what  good  the  re- 
vivals might  have  accomplished  in  the  way  of  turning  men 
from  their  sins  and  directing  their  footsteps  in  the  narrow 
path,  was  unhappily  transformed  into  positive  harm  in  the 
strife  that  followed;  for  it  was  impossible  but  that  such 
conduct  on  the  part  of  the  clergy  and  religious  partisans 
generally,  would  give  rise  to  fresh  doubts  in  the  minds  of 
those  who  earnestly  sought  the  truth,  as  to  the  precise 
amount  of  divinity  there  was  to  be  found  in  any  of  the 
prevailing  religious  creeds. 

The  Smiths  and  the  Macks. 

At  this  time  there  lived  at  Manchester  a  family  whose  name 
was  destined  to  be  pronounced  for  good  or  evil  wherever 
the  word  "Mormonism"  might  penetrate.  This  was  the 
Smith  family.  It  consisted,  at  the  time,  of  the  parents, 
Joseph  and  Lucy,  and  eight  children,  whose  names  were : 
Alvin,  Hyrum,  Sophronia,  Joseph,  Samuel,  William,  Cath- 
erine, and  Don  Carlos.  According  to  all  accounts,  they  were 
poor,  though  their  poverty  was  not  that  abject  sort  which 
marks  the  lazy  and  shiftless,  but  merely  that  kind  which 
characterizes  all  pioneers  of  a  new  country.  The  father  and 
the  older  boys  worked  on  their  newly-purchased  farm,  clear- 
ing and  otherwise  preparing  it  for  cultivation,  while  the 
mother  helped  to  furnish  provisions  and  replenish  the  small 
stock  of  household  furniture  by  painting  oilcloth  coverings 
for  tables,  stands,  and  similar  articles.  They  were  there- 
fore a  hard-working  and  economical  family. 

They  had  not,  however,  always  lived  at  Manchester,  nor 
had  they  always  been  thus  poor.  Theirs  had  been  a  life  full 
of  strange  vicissitudes,  which  they  had  been  unable  to  com- 
prehend while  passing  through  them,  but  the  value  and 
meaning  of  which  they  came  to  see  clearly  enough  in  the 


LIGHT    FROM    HEAVEN  \) 

light  which  subsequent  events  reflected  upon  the  earlier  part 
of  their  lives.  Tunbridge,  Orange  county,  Vermont,  had 
been  their  first  home.  Here  it  was  that  Joseph  had  met  and, 
in  January,  1796,  married  Lucy  Mack. 

The  Smiths  and  the  Macks  had  for  several  generations 
been  counted  among  the  most  thrifty  and  respected  farmers 
of  New  England.  Their  genealogy  stretched  back  into  the 
days  of  early  immigration  to  America,  and  both  families  had 
furnished  to  the  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  Wars  brave  and 
earnest  soldiers  whose  blood,  mingling  with  that  of  their 
compatriots,  fertilized  the  soil  whereon  was  to  spring  up  the 
tree  of  liberty  and  equal  rights.  The  early  home  of  the 
Smith  family  was  in  Massachusetts ;  that  of  the  Macks,  in 
Connecticut,  from  which  States  both  families  had  been 
driven  by  reverses  in  fortune. 

Lucy's  grandparents  had  been  well-to-do  while  living  in 
their  native  State,  and  her  father  had  received,  therefore, 
a  tolerable  education.  It  appears  from  his  biography,  com- 
posed towards  the  end  of  an  active  life,  that  Solomon  Mack 
was  a  man  of  energy  and  character,  with  a  faculty  for  nar- 
rating his  military  exploits  in  a  manly  and  entertaining  style. 
He  served  with  credit  in  the  Colonial  Wars  and  also  in  the 
war  with  England.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  or  six  he  mar- 
ried Lydia  Gates,  a  school-mistress,  the  daughter  of  a  well- 
to-do  family.  To  this  couple  were  born  eight  children,  in- 
cluding Lucv,  several  of  whom  became  men  and  women  of 
more  than  usual  ability.  Stephen,  a  man  of  no  common  en- 
ergy, business  acumen,  intelligence,  and  patriotism,  won  hon- 
ors in  the  Revolutionary  War.  Subsequently  he  settled  in 
Michigan,  where  he  became  one  of  the  founders  of  Detroit, 
and  where  he  afterwards  owned  and  operated  large  and  suc- 
cessful mercantile  establishments,  and  held  political  posi- 
tions. It  is  related  that  while  residing  at  Tunbridge  he  and 
his  partner  in  business  gave  Lucy  one  thousand  dollars  as  a 


10  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

marriage  present.  Lydia  married  into  a  family  of  wealth  and 
intelligence.  Jason  was  a  zealous  preacher  and  missionary 
all  his  life.  Lucy,  herself,  born  at  Gilsum,  Cheshire  county, 
New  Hampshire,  just  four  days  after  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence, was  a  woman  of  character  and  piety.  At  several 
stages  of  her  married  life  while  her  husband  was  away  from 
home,  we  find  her  exhibiting  a  talent  for  managing  affairs 
that  indicates  a  good  deal  of  natural  tact  and  wisdom. 

Of  the  Smith  family,  not  so  much  is  known.  They  were  of 
English  descent,  the  earliest  American  progenitor,  Robert 
Smith,  having  come  from  England  before  the  middle  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  It  appears  that  they,  too,  were  farm- 
ers, respected  by  their  neighbors  and  measurably  prosperous 
in  this  world's  affairs,  and  that  several  of  their  number  ren- 
dered voluntary  and  honorable  service  to  their  country  in  the 
Colonial  Wars  and  in  the  struggle  for  national  -independence. 
A  letter  written  by  Asael  Smith,  grandfather  of  the  Prophet, 
to  a  friend  in  Massachusetts,  in  1796,  reveals  no  small 
amount  of  intelligence,  prosperity,  independence  of  charac- 
ter, and  a  faith  that  God  would  over-rule  events  for  the  best 
good  of  the  new  government.  Inter-marrying  with  some  of 
the  best  families  of  New  England — and  we  make  the  state- 
ment on  the  strength  of  the  names  which  appear  on  the  fe- 
male side  of  the  house — they  were  thus  desirable  citizens  of 
the  growing  nation.  The  strength  of  both  the  Smiths  and 
the  Macks,  therefore,  lies  in  their  having  belonged  to  the 
energetic  and  successful  tillers  of  the  soil,  to  that  class  of 
people  which  constitutes  the  backbone  of  the  American  na- 
tion, and  of  any  nation. 

Moreover,  the  records  of  both  families  proclaim  them  to 
have  had  a  strong  and  well-defined  religious  character.  They 
believed  firmly  and  positively  in  God  and  in  the  Bible,  and 
endeavored  to  make  their  lives  conform  to  the  teachings  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures.     It  is  a  point  worthy  of  notice  here 


LIGHT    FROM    HEAVEN  11 

that  in  both  families  there  were  men  and  women  who  were 
considered  heterodox  in  some  respects  by  their  contempo- 
raries. Their  faith  was  not,  therefore,  of  that  unreasoning 
kind  which  accepts  '  unquestioningly  every  religious  tenet 
merely  because  it  happens  to  find  a  place  in  some  particular 
creed.  Instances  are  recorded  of  the  simple  faith  and  devo- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  younger  Joseph's  ancestors,  on  both 
sides  of  the  family,  that  are  touching  and  beautiful.  Jason 
Mack,  as  we  have  already  stated,  was  a  preacher  and  mis- 
sionary, though  unorthodox  in  some  respects ;  he  believed 
"that  by  prayer  and  faith  the  gifts  of  the  gospel,  which  were 
enjoyed  by  the  ancient  disciples  of  Christ,  might  be  obtained 
by  the  followers  of  Jesus  in  modern  days."  A  very  pathetic 
description  has  been  left  us  of  the  piety  of  the  sisters  Lovisa 
and  Lovina  Mack  under  the  shadow  of  an  early  death ;  and 
fragments  of  verse  remaining  attest  the  poetic,  as  well  as 
the  religious,  inclination  of  the  latter.  In  one  instance, 
there  appears  to  have  been  a  distinct  premonition  on  the  part 
of  a  member  of  the  Smith  family — Asael,  the  father  of  the 
elder  Joseph — concerning  the  work  which  the  Lord  was 
about  to  establish.  "It  has  been  borne  in  upon  my  soul," 
he  is  known  to  have  remarked,  "that  one  of  my  descend- 
ants will  promulgate  a  work  to  revoluntionize  the  world 
of  religious  faith."  This  premonition  he  lived  long  enough 
to  see  partly  realized,  for  shortly  before  his  death,  he  was 
presented  with  a  copy  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  which  he  ac- 
cepted as  a  divine  revelation,  "and  with  the  light  of  inspira- 
tion which  sometimes  illumines  the  mind  of  man  as  the  veil 
of  eternity  opens  to  his  gaze,  Asael  solemnly  warned  his 
attendants  to  give  heed  to  the  book,  for  it  was  true,  and 
its  coming  forth  heralded  a  renewal  of  gospel  light." 

At  Tunbridge  where,  as  already  noted,  Lucy  had  met 
Joseph  while  she  was  on  a  visit  to  her  brother  Stephen,  the 
couple  were  married,  settling  in  easy  circumstances  on  their 


12  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

own  farm.  But  they  were  not  long  to  remain  so.  After  six 
years  Joseph  rented  his  farm  and  engaged  in  the  business  of 
store-keeping.  Investing  beyond  his  means  in  crystalized 
ginseng,  which  at  the  time  commanded  a  high  price  in 
China,  he  sent  a  quantity  of  this  article  across  the  waters. 
Had  no  ill- fortune  intervened,  he  would  have  realized  sev- 
eral times  the  amount  of  his  investment;  but  as  it  was,  a 
"friend"  and  "neighbor"  cunningly  cheated  him  out  of  both 
the  profits  and  the  original*  sum,  leaving  him  in  consequence 
involved  in  debt.  To  pay  the  obligations  held  against  him 
on  this  and  other  accounts,  he  sold  his  farm  at  much  less 
than  its  real  value ;  and  the  money  thus  obtained,  together 
with  Lucy's  marriage  gift  of  one  thousand  dollars,  which 
she  had  carefully  treasured,  served  to  liquidate  all  their  in- 
debtedness. But  they  were  left  penniless,  though  with  a 
name  and  conscience  of  which  they  had  no  reason  to  be 
ashamed.  During  the  next  few  years  they  moved  about  con- 
siderably, along  the  borderline  separating  New  Hampshire 
and  Vermont.  Among  the  towns  where  they  resided  in  these 
unsettled  years  were  Royalton,  Randolph,  Sharon,  Tun- 
bridge  (their  former  home),  Lebanon,  and  Norwich.  Con- 
tinuous industry  and  economical  living  would  have  meas- 
urably brought  back  their  former  prosperity,  but  sickness  in 
their  growing  family  proved  too  heavy  a  drain  on  their 
meagre  resources.  Failure  of  crops  for  three  successive  years 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Norwich,  their  last  home,  in  New 
England,  drove  them  ultimately  from  that  place  to  western 
New  York  State,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  was  then  a  pio- 
neer district.  They  first  settled  at  Palmyra,  Wayne  (then 
Ontario)  county  where,  with  characteristic  hope  and  indus- 
try, the  father,  assisted  by  his  sons,  began  the  arduous  task 
of  clearing  more  than  a  hundred  acres  of  land.  This  farm 
they  had  purchased  and  were  paying  for  in  installments,  but 
in  consequence  of  their  inability  to  make  the  final  payment, 


LIGHT  FROM   HEAVEN  13 

and  also  because  of  a  technical  question  concerning  the 
title,  they  lost  everything,  and  were  compelled  to  make  a 
new  home.  Hence,  after  having  lived  at  Palmyra  for  two 
years,  the  family  moved  to  Manchester,  where,  it  seems, 
they  were  prospered  more  than  at  any  time  since  their  mis- 
fortune at  Tunbridge.  This  removal  occurred  some  time  in 
the  year  1817. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  history  of  Joseph  Smith's  anteced- 
ents. But  anti-"Mormon"  writers  have  labored  most  as- 
siduously to  wrest  from  these  simple  facts  a  testimony  of 
low  birth,  ignorance,  and  indolence.  The  pious  nature  of 
these  deserving  people  has  been  stigmatized  as  religious  ec- 
centricity and  credulity ;  the  frequent  removals  of  the  Smith 
family  as  vagabondage ;  their  unfortunate  reverses  in  a 
material  way  and  their  unpretentious  efforts  to  regain  their 
prosperity,  as  soul-bankruptcy  and  mere  shiftless  incapacity. 
And  one  would  be  led  to  think  the  whole  race  of  Smiths  and 
Macks  entirely  destitute  of  a  single  virtue.  Two  things, 
however,  the  reader  must  bear  in  mind  as  he  peruses  this 
gloomy  catalogue  of  short-comings;  first,  that  it  was  com- 
piled by  those  who  not  only  took  no  pains  to  hide  their  ani- 
mus, but  openly  avowed  themselves  enemies  of  the  "Mor- 
mon" people  and  their  creed ;  and,  second,  that  it  was  con- 
ceived at  a  time  when  these  enemies  felt  it  imperatively  nec- 
essary, as  an  effective  weapon  against  the  Church,  that  the 
originators  of  the  new  religion  should  have  borne  a  bad 
name  among  their  neighbors.  For  confirmation  of  the  first 
of  these  statements  we  have  only  to  look  into  any  of  the 
numerous  and  bulky  volumes  by  anti-"Mormons."  It  will 
then  be  perfectly  clear  that  these  charges  against  the  char- 
acter of  the  Smith  family,  were  conceived  in  bitterness  and 
disappointed  hate.  And  if  any  proof  of  the  other  statement 
were  asked  for,  it  would  be  necessary  only  to  make  a  list  of 
the  points  in  evidence  soberly  put  down  in  what  purports  to 


14  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

be  authenticated  and  unbiased  histories  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints  by  outsiders.  In  nearly  every  instance  the  testimonies 
(usually  sworn  affidavits  given  with  incredible  willingness) 
against  the  character  of  Joseph  Smith  and  the  members  of 
the  family  are  distortions  of  otherwise  innocent  facts,  the 
repetition  of  pure  hearsay,  often  by  a  great  many  removes, 
or  the  expressions  of  persons  enfeebled  by  age,  struggling, 
at  the  pressing  invitation  of  the  "careful  and  unbiased  his- 
torian," to  recall  some  "facts"  about  their  early  connection 
with  the  Smiths,  which,  if  these  people  had  really  ever  known 
would  long  since  have  slipped  away  from  their  remembrance. 
In  the  last  case  the  flattering  and  conciliating  manner  of  the 
"inquirer,"  but  more  especially  his  helpful  leading  questions, 
brings  back  a  ready  memory,  that  doles  out  with  surprising 
volubility  rose-colored  stories  about  the  Smiths,  which  are 
themselves  the  strongest  evidence  at  once  of  the  corrupted 
understanding  of  those  who  gave  them  out  in  the  first  in- 
stance and  of  the  total  lack  of  conscience  on  the  part  of  those 
who  repeat  them  in  works  laying  the  least  claim  to  being 
historical. 

We  have  therefore  been  thus  particular  in  reviewing  the 
history  of  these  two  families  partly  because  of  these  attempts 
to  cast  odium  upon  honorable  names,  partly  because  we  wish 
to  show  what  strange,  yet  simple  and  withal  natural,  means 
the  Lord  employs  to  accomplish  his  purposes  respecting 
man.  We  may  see  from  this  brief  narrative  of  their  check- 
ered lives  that  God  was  using  these  circumstances  for  the 
purpose  of  training  the  Smith  family  for  the  labor  he  was 
about  to  require  of  them,  and  also  of  bringing  them  near 
the  scene  of  the  younger  Joseph's  future  activity. 

Early  Years  of  the  Prophet  Joseph. 

It  is  not,  however,  with  the  Smith  family,  as  such,  that  we 

are  primarily  concerned,  but  rather  with  one  of  its  members. 


LIGHT    FROM    HEAVEN  15 

Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  the  fourth  child,  was  at  this  time  (1820) 
only  a  little  more  than  fourteen  years  of  age.  He  had  been 
born  on  the  23rd  of  December,  1805,  while  the  family  was 
living  at  Sharon,  Windsor  county,  Vermont.  Concerning  his 
life  before  this  fourteenth  year  but  little  is  known.  It  is  re- 
lated that  when  about  seven  years  old  he  was  afflicted  with 
a  fever  sore  on  his  leg,  which  nearly  caused  him  to  lose  that 
member,  but  through  an  operation,  in  which,  however,  it  was 
necessary  to  remove  several  pieces  of  bone,  the  leg  was  for- 
tunately saved.  He  worked  like  the  other  boys  of  the  family 
in  assisting  the  father  to  make  a  home  at  Palmyra  and  at 
Manchester;  so  that  he  had  been  inured  to  daily  toil  from 
the  beginning,  and  early  made  to  know  the  significance  of 
hardship  and  privation.  During  the  winter  months  he  at- 
tended the  village  school,  where  he  learned  to  read,  to  write, 
and  to  do  simple  sums  in  arithmetic.  Of  the  other  branches 
taught  even  then  at  the  best  country  schools  it  was  not  his 
privilege  to  learn  at  the  time.  At  home  he  was  taught  by 
precept  and  example  the  value  of  faith  in  God  and  devotion 
to  duty  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men.  The  early  age 
of  fourteen  brought  Joseph  a  studious  habit  and  thought- 
fulness  beyond  his  years ;  and  in  consequence  he  was  highly 
respected  among  the  neighbors. 

The  Smith  family,  being,  as  we  have  shown,  of  a  re- 
ligious turn  of  mind,  naturally  took  a  deep  interest  in  the 
revival  which  occurred  in  the  vicinity  of  Manchester  and 
which  we  have  already  described.  Four  members,  includ- 
ing the  mother,  joined  the  Presbyterian  faith.  Joseph,  like 
the  rest  of  the  family,  was  profoundly  affected  by  the  excite- 
ment over  religion,  but,  unlike  them,  was  in  doubt  as  to 
which  of  the  churches  was  the  true  one.  At  first  he  was 
somewhat  partial  to  the  Methodists.  Young  as  he  was,  he 
saw  clearly  that  not  all  the  sects,  separately  or  collectively, 
could  be  the  true  Church  of  Christ,  though  he  does  not  ap- 


16  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

pear  to  have  had  any  doubts  that  some  one  of  them  possessed 
the  truth.  He  pondered  over  the  question  without  apparently 
being  able  to  arrive  at  any  satisfactory  conclusion,  till  an 
event  occurred  which  dispelled  forever  all  shadow  of  doubt 
from  his  mind  and  planted  there  instead  a  firm  knowledge 
respecting  God  and  the  Church  of  Christ. 

A  Glorious  Revelation  of  God. 

During  his  severest  moments  of  uncertainty,  Joseph  had  fre- 
quent recourse  to  the  Scriptures,  hoping  to  find  therein 
something  that  would  set  his  mind  at  rest  concerning  this 
perplexing  subject  of  religion.  And  he  was  not  to  be  dis- 
appointed. For  one  day  while  reading  in  the  Epistle  of 
James  he  came  upon  the  words :  "If  any  of  you  lack  wis- 
dom, let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth  to  all  men  liberally  and 
upbraideth  not;  and  it  shall  be  given  him."  These  words 
burned  themselves  into  his  soul.  It  was  like  a  sudden  flash 
from  heaven  in  the  midst  of  impenetrable  darkness.  He  had 
been  wandering  in  the  blackness  of  night,  but  now  he  was 
able  to  pick  out  his  way  with  ease.  It  was  a  supreme  crisis 
in  the  boy's  life,  a  parting  of  the  ways.  He  was  startled 
by  the  fitness  of  the  words  to  his  case.  It  was  as  if  the  an- 
cient apostle  had  written  them  with  Joseph  expressly  in 
mind.  He  lacked  wisdom;  for  which  of  all  the  conflicting 
churches  to  join  he  did  not  know.  But  here  was  the  finger 
of  God  pointing  the  way ;  here  was  a  pledge  from  the 
Almighty  that  he  would  obtain  wisdom  merely  for  the  ask- 
ing. Doubtless  he  hesitated.  Who,  indeed,  would  not  have 
done  so?  Had  not  these  disputes  over  religion  been  going 
on  for  hundreds  of  years,  and  had  not  these  very  words, 
too,  been  read  time  and  again  by  countless  millions  whose 
doubts  respecting  the  truth  of  the  sects  had  been  as  great 
as  his  own?  And  yet,  it  seemed,  no  one,  not  even  the 
preachers,  had  tested  the  divine  promise  tin  this  passage.    Or 


LIGHT    FROM    HEAVEN  17 

had  they  read  them  without  believing?  At  all  events,  he  did 
not  disbelieve ;  he  had  no  questionings  in  his  soul  respecting 
the  amount  of  dependence  to  be  placed  upon  the  word  of 
God.  And  here,  we  may  add  parenthetically,  is  the  most 
positive  evidence  of  the  purity  and  faith-producing  character 
of  his  home  atmosphere.  The  more  he  thought  upon  the 
passage  and  on  his  own  condition  of  spiritual  uncertainty, 
the  more  he  was  impressed  that  he  ought  to  seek  the  Lord 
in  prayer. 

Accordingly,  one  bright  morning  in  the  spring  of  1820, 
he  retired  to  a  grove  near  his  father's  house.  Upon  reach- 
ing a  secluded  spot,  he  looked  around  him  to  make  sure 
that  he  was  alone.  No  doubt  he  felt  deeply  the  awfulness 
of  the  situation.  The  deep-breathing  stillness  of  the  woods 
and  the  loneliness  only  added  to  the  solemnity  of  the  hour. 
Silently  the  boy  knelt  upon  the  ground  and  began  to  pray 
aloud.  Suddenly,  he  was  seized  by  an  unseen  power  which 
entirely  overcame  him — not  an  imaginary  influence,  but  an 
actual  being  from  the  invisible  world  of  evil.  Thick  dark- 
ness enveloped  him.  His  tongue  was  bound  so  that  he  could 
not  utter  a  word.  In  an  agony  of  helpless  terror  he  cried 
in  his  soul  for  God  to  free  him  from  the  grasp  of  this  fright- 
ful power.  At  the  moment  of  his  greatest  despair  he  beheld 
above  him,  through  the  darkness,  a  pillar  of  light,  which  in- 
creased as  it  approached  till  the  place  was  brilliantly  illumi- 
nated, and  the  tops  of  the  trees  looked  as  if  they  would  be 
consumed.  The  next  instant,  the  enemy  of  his  soul  departed. 
"When  the  light  rested  upon  me,"  he  says,  "I  saw  two  per- 
sonages, whose  brightness  defy  all  description,  standing 
above  me  in  the  air.  One  of  them  spake  unto  me,  calling 
me  by  name,  and  said,  pointing  to  the  other:  This  is  My 
Beloved  Son,  hear  Him.'  " 

Joseph's  object  in  going  to  the  grove  to  pray  was  that  he 
might  inquire  of  the  Lord  concerning  the  right  church.     As 


18  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

soon,  therefore,  as  he  had  regained  self-possession  enough  to 
speak,  he  asked  these  holy  Personages  the  momentous  ques- 
tion. The  answer  was:  "You  must  join  none  of  them! 
They  are  all  wrong.  Their  creeds  are  an  abomination  in  my 
sight.  The  professors  thereof  are  all  corrupt.  They  draw 
near  me  with  their  lips,  but  their  hearts  are  far  from  me. 
They  teach  for  doctrine  the  commandments  of  men.  Hav- 
ing a  form  of  godliness,  they  deny  the  power  thereof." 
Again  he  was  forbidden  to  connect  himself  with  any  of 
them.  "Many  other  things"  were  said  to  him  at  this  time, 
but  we  are  not  informed,  neither  here  nor  elsewhere,  as  to 
what  they  were.  Doubtless,  he  was  told  that  in  due  time, 
the  true  Church  should  be  established  on  the  earth  and  that 
if  faithful  he  should  be  instrumental  in  accomplishing  the 
restoration. 

Such  are  all  the  details  concerning  what  will  some  day 
be  generally  regarded  as  the  most  important  event  in  the 
history  of  the  world,  excepting  alone  the  revelation  of  God- 
hood  in  the  person  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  pre- 
eminently the  event  since  the  opening  of  the  dispensation 
in  the  meridian  of  time.  And  like  the  coming  of  our  Savior 
to  live  in  the  flesh — a  circumstance  so  humble  and  obscure 
as  not  to  attract  the  notice  of  the  great — this  sublime  vision 
of  modern  days  will  acquire  significance  with  the  silent 
lapse  of  time ;  while  the  comparatively  petty  incidents  of 
the  world's  life,  such  as  the  overthrow  of  a  tyrant  king,  the 
founding  of  a  nation,  or  the  discovery  of  an  important 
principle,  will  imperceptibly  but  none  the  less  surely  drop  to 
their  proper  level,  leaving  this  magnificent  revelation  tower- 
ing above  these  merely  local  events  resplendent  with  an 
ever-increasing  halo  of  glory. 

After  the  Vision. 

Naturally  enough,  Joseph  felt  as  if  he  ought  to  communi- 


LIGHT    FROM    HEAVEN  19 

cate  these  facts  to  others  that  they,  too,  might  rejoice ;  for  it 
did  not  occur  to  his  unsophisticated  mind  that  any  religious 
person  would  question  his  experience,  much  less  deny  the 
need  for  such  a  revelation,  and  least  of  all  that  any  ill-will 
should  be  borne  him  for  what  he  had  seen.  His  own  family 
were  the  first  to  whom  he  related  the  vision.  With  them,  of 
course,  he  found  belief  and  sympathy.  Afterwards,  when  an 
opportunity  presented  itself,  he  told  the  circumstance  to  a 
Methodist  minister,  who  had  probably  manifested  an  interest 
in  the  conversion  of  the  boy,  and  from  whom  no  doubt 
he  confidently  expected  belief  and  good  will.  But  the  pious 
man  treated  his  communication  "not  only  lightly,  but  with 
great  contempt,  saying  that  it  was  all  of  the  devil,  that  there 
were  no  such  things  as  visions  or  revelations  in  these  days, 
that  all  such  things  had  ceased  with  the  apostles,  and  that 
there  never  would  be  any  more  of  them."  To  others  also  he 
must  have  related  the  vision ;  for  he  says,  "I  found  my  tell- 
ing the  story  had  excited  a  great  deal  of  prejudice  against 
me  among  professors  of  religion,  and  was  the  cause  of  great 
persecution,  which  continued  to  increase." 

This  Methodist  minister's  attitude  towards  him  was  the 
attitude  of  people  generally  in  his  neighborhood.  He  very 
likely  had  imagined  that  he  would  be  doing  an  inestimable 
service  to  his  fellow  men  by  telling  them  how  his  own  doubts 
had  been  resolved  as  an  example  of  how  they  might  resolve 
theirs.  But  his  neighbors  did  not  look  at  the  matter  in  the 
same  light.  Only  his  family  believed  him.  Everyone  else 
reviled  and  persecuted.  What  this  persecution  consisted  of 
he  does  not  inform  us;  doubtless  it  was  jeering  and  vilifica- 
tion, the  social  and  religious  ostracism  of  himself  and  his 
father's  family.  The  preachers,  who  had  so  recently  been 
at  cross  purposes  with  one  another  over  their  individual 
share  of  the  converts,  now  so  far  forgot  their  bickerings  as 
to  unite  in  holding  up  to  public  ridicule  a  boy  scarcely  fif- 


20  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS    OF    MORMON  ISM 

teen  years  of  age  whose  circumstances  in  life  were  such  as 
to  make  him  of  no  consequence  in  the  world. 

"It  caused  me  serious  reflection  then,"  says  the  Prophet, 
in  speaking  of  this  time,  "and  often  has  since,  how  very 
strange  it  was  that  an  obscure  boy,  of  a  little  over  fourteen 
years  of  age,  and  one,  too,  who  was  doomed  to  the  necessity 
of  obtaining  a  scanty  maintenance  by  his  daily  labor,  should 
be  thought  a  character  of  sufficient  importance  to  attract  the 
attention  of  the  great  ones  of  the  most  popular  sects  of  the 
day,  and  in  a  manner  to  create  in  them  a  spirit  of  the  most 
bitter  persecution  and  reviling.  But  strange  or  not,  so  it 
was,  and  it  was  often  the  cause  of  great  sorrow  to  myself. 
However,  it  was  nevertheless  a  fact  that  I  had  beheld  a 
vision.  I  have  thought  since,  that  I  felt  much  like  Paul, 
when  he  made  his  defense  before  King  Agrippa,  and  related 
the  account  of  the  vision  he  had  when  he  saw  a  light,  and 
heard  a  voice ;  but  still  there  were  few  who  believed  him ; 
some  said  he  was  dishonest,  others  said  he  was  mad ;  and  he 
was  ridiculed  and  reviled.  But  all  this  did  not  destroy  the 
reality  of  his  vision.  He  had  seen  a  vision,  he  knew  he  had, 
and  all  the  persecution  under  heaven  could  not  make  it  oth- 
erwise;  and  though  they  should  persecute  him  unto  death, 
yet  he  knew,  and  would  know  to  his  latest  breath,  that  he  had 
both  seen  a  light  and  heard  a  voice  speaking  unto  him,  and  all 
the  world  could  not  make  him  think  and  believe  otherwise. 
So  it  was  with  me.  I  had  actually  seen  a  light,  and  in  the 
midst  of  that  light  I  saw  two  personages,  and  they  did  in 
reality  speak  to  me ;  and  though  I  was  hated  and  persecuted 
for  saying  that  I  had  seen  a  vision,  yet  it  was  true ;  and 
while  they  were  persecuting  me,  reviling  me,  and  speaking 
all  manner  of  evil  against  me,  falsely,  for  so  saying,  I  was 
led  to  say  in  my  heart,  Why  persecute  for  telling  the  truth? 
I  have  actually  seen  a  vision,  and  who  am  I  that  I  can  with- 
stand God,  or  whv  does  the  world  think  to  make  me  deny 


LIGHT  FROM   HEAVEN  21 

what  I  have  actually  seen  ?  For  I  had  seen  a  vision ;  I  knew 
it,  and  I  knew  that  God  knew  it,  and  I  could  not  deny  it, 
neither  dared  I ;  at  least  I  knew  that  by  so  doing  I  would 
offend  God,  and  come  under  his  condemnation." 

Significance  of  this  Revelation. 

This  first  vision  of  the  Prophet's  constitutes  the  groundwork 
of  the  religious  movement  inaugurated  by  him.  With  it 
"Mormonism"  falls  or  stands,  according  as  this  vision  is 
false  or  true.  If  this  be  a  figment  of  Joseph  Smith's  imag- 
ination, then  our  religion  is  what  its  detractors  have  always 
declared  it  to  be — a  soul-destroying  imposture.  But  if,  on 
the  other  hand — though  our  opponents  seem  not  to  have 
considered  closely  enough  this  other  alternative — this  rev- 
elation is  a  reality,  "Mormonism"  alone  of  all  the  religious 
organizations  of  the  world  is  the  true  Church  of  Christ.  It 
is  a  tremendous  conclusion,  but  there  is  no  other  that  can  be 
drawn ;  there  is  no  middle  ground.  Here,  then,  is  the  main 
reason  why  "Mormonism"  presents  to  the  world  such  an  un- 
compromising front,  why  it  cannot  affiliate  with  other  sects 
and  parties  on  common  ground,  and  why,  in  part,  it  is  fought 
with  such  unmitigated  bitterness.  But  this  vision,  moreover, 
is  luminous  as  are  few  external  facts  in  our  annals.  It  lays 
bare  a  group  of  ideas  the  bigness  of  which  cannot  easily  be 
overestimated,  and  opens  a  prospect  for  others,  larger  still, 
which  the  human  understanding  struggles  in  vain  to  en- 
compass. All  the  great  fundamentals  of  our  faith  are  here 
— those  basic  principles  of  progressive  religion  for  which 
"Mormonism"  stands  and  which  distinguish  it  from  every 
other  religious  creed.  It  is  not  my  purpose,  however,  to 
establish  the  grounds  of  belief  in  this  great  revelation.  That 
is  not  needed.  The  beautiful  and  perfect  superstructure  sub- 
sequently reared,  proves  conclusively  the  substantial  charac- 
ter of  this  its  foundation.   It  is  the  intention,  in  this  section, 


22  ONE   HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

only  to  bring  into  relief  some  of  the  important  facts  and 
principles  disclosed  by  the  first  vision. 

One  of  the  main  results  of  this  revelation  was  to  set 
Joseph's  mind  at  rest  concerning  religion  and  to  qualify 
him  for  his  mission  of  Restorer. 

It  is  related  that  the  young  boy,  upon  recovering  his 
usual  self-possession,  left  the  grove  and  entered  the  house ; 
and  as  he  was  leaning  against  the  mantelpiece,  pale  and  ex- 
hausted, his  mother,  noticing  his  condition,  pressed  him  for 
the  cause  of  it.  He  replied  that  he  was  well  enough,  but 
added  shortly:  "I  have  learned  for  myself  that  Presbyte- 
rianism  is  wrong."  And  indeed  he  had  learned  this,  from  the 
greatest  of  all  authorities.  But  he  had  learned  also  that  all 
the  -other  churches  and  religious  societies  among  men  were 
likewise  wrong.  "Their  creeds" — such  was  the  language 
of  the  Holy  Personage — "are  an  abomination  in  my  sight." 
Not  that  the  churches  had  in  them  no  truth,  or  that  there 
were  no  devout  people  on  the  earth.  There  was  doubtless 
some  truth  in  all  the  churches,  and  there  doubtless  were  in 
each  of  them  thousands  of  sincere  worshipers.  But  their 
creeds,  which  they  depended  upon  for  salvation,  were  encum- 
bered with  numerous  rites  and  ceremonies  that  found  no 
sanction  in  the  New  Testament,  in  the  practices  of  apostolic 
days,  or  in  any  revelation  later  than  the  time  of  the  apostles ; 
and,  what  was  worse,  all  their  sacraments  were  performed 
without  divine  authority,  those  that  were,  as  well  as  those 
that  were  not,  correct  in  form.  Like  the  Jewish  religion 
at  the  time  of  Jesus,  modern  Christianity,  though  it  was  not 
devoid  of  some  of  the  forms  of  the  primitive  Church,  was 
notwithstanding  almost  powerless  as  a  means  of  saving 
grace.  For  hundreds  of  years  no  man  had  been  called  of 
God,  but  each  of  those  who  had  officiated  in  a  religious  ca- 
pacity had  "taken  the  honor  unto  himself."  That  was  the 
situation  as  it  must  have  appeared  to  Joseph  Smith  after  this 


LIGHT  FROM   HEAVEN  23 

revelation ;  and  it  had  the  effect  of  settling  his  mind  as  to  the 
important  question  which  he  went  out  into  the  woods  to  ask. 

Joseph  had  learned,  too,  a  most  valuable  lesson — the 
first  lesson,  in  fact,  of  both  theology  and  religion — which  he 
was  k)  profit  by  greatly  during  the  few  troubled  years  that 
were  to  remain  to  him  in  life,  and  which  would  be  of  ines- 
timable value  to  the  religious  world  generally  had  they  been 
disposed  to  avail  themselves  of  it.  In  the  long  course  of  the 
Christian  Church,  from  the  days  of  the  apostles  to  the  pres- 
ent, quarrels  and  schisms  over  theological  tenets  had  turned 
men's  minds  from  the  practice  of  the  virtues  inculcated  by 
the  original  faith.  Councils  of  the  Church,  the  writings  of 
the  fathers,  the  decrees  of  popes,  the  discussions  of  uni- 
versities, and  even  the  inspired  words  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment had  been  vainly  resorted  to  for  light  upon  the  subjects 
in  dispute.  None,  it  seemed,  had  gone  to  the  real  source  of 
wisdom — new  revelation  from  God.  But  Joseph  had  learned 
how  little  dependence  was  to  be  placed  in  men.  And  so 
in  his  simplicity  he  had  appealed  to  the  Lord.  Hereafter 
he  would  not  hesitate  where  to  go  for  guidance  when 
any  question  of  vital  importance  was  involved.  No  marvel 
that,  in  later  years  when  he  had  further  tested  the  divine 
promise  in  James,  he  could  remark  upon  the  readiness  of 
the  Lord  to  instruct  those  who  diligently  sought  him  in 
faith. 

It  may  be  accounted  by  some  a  matter  of  small  moment 
that  Joseph  Smith  should  never  have  belonged  to  any  of  the 
churches  of  men.  But  I  do  not  regard  it  so.  On  the  con- 
trary, I  have  always  deemed  it  profoundly  significant  that 
this  revelation  came  to  him  when  he  was  on  the  point  of  con- 
sidering which  of  them  he  ought  to  join.  His  parents,  and 
his  antecedents  for  generations,  though  devout  people,  had 
taken  little  stock  in  the  creeds.  They  endeavored  through- 
out their  lives  to  surround  themselves  and  their  children 


24  ONE   HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

with  such  influences  as  would  make  for  their  spiritual  ad- 
vancement. But  they  held  aloof  from  the  churches.  Had 
Joseph,  or  his  ancestors  generally,  been  strongly  partisan  in 
a  religious  way — and  the  bias  would  no  doubt  have  been 
stronger  and  more  narrowing  in  some  sects  than  in  others — 
the  young  boy  might  have  been  less  fit  for  his  capacity  as 
Restorer.  There  would  have  been,  no  doubt,  a  sub-con- 
scious set  of  influences  at  work  the  effect  of  which  would  be 
to  narrow  his  usefulness  and  benumb  his  religious  sensibili- 
ties. Doubtless  he  had  his  short-comings,  but  these  would 
not  have  been  overcome  nor  diminished  by  his  early  becom- 
ing saturated  with  a  false  creedism.  He  was  left,  therefore, 
free  as  possible,  so  far  as  influences  in  this  direction  were 
concerned,  to  accomplish  the  work  to  which  God  had  fore- 
ordained him.  His  mind  was  broader,  his  heart  larger, 
than  either  would  have  been  had  his  life  and  that  of  his 
progenitors  been  circumscribed  by  the  creeds  of  men.  Hence, 
I  insist,  "there  seems  to  have  been  a  Providence  in  Joseph's 
not  having  been  a  member  of  any  of  the  sects  which  he  was 
subsequently  to  pronounce  an  abomination  before  the  Lord. 

But  the  Prophet  of  the  Last  and  Greatest  of  Dispensations 
required  a  more  direct  and  personal  qualification  than  mere- 
ly to  know  that  none  of  the  churches  on  the  earth  was 
true,  or  to  be  informed  concerning  the  proper  source  of  re- 
ligious wisdom. 

When,  after  the  ascension  of  Jesus,  it  became  necessary 
to  fill  the  vacancy  in  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve  created  by  the 
apostasy  of  Judas,  it  was  imperative  that  a  man  be  chosen 
who  could  testify  from  personal  knowledge  of  the  minis- 
trations of  Messiah  in  the  flesh  and  of  his  resurrection  from 
the  dead.  The  apostle  Peter,  in  his  address  to  those  who 
had  been  called  together  for  the  election  of  a  new  apostle, 
declared  that  "of  these  men  which  have  companied  with 
us  all  the  time  that  the  Lord  Jesus  went  in  and  out  among 


LIGHT    FROM    HEAVEN  25 

us  beginning  with  John  the  Baptist,  unto  that  same  day  he 
was  taken  up  from  us,  must  one  be  ordained  to  be  a  witness 
with  us  of  his  resurrection."  Subsequently,  when  another 
apostle — Saul  of  Tarsus — was  to  be  chosen,  and  it  happened 
that  the  person  on  whom  this  great  honor  and  responsibility 
were  to  rest  had  not  the  benefit  of  a  personal  association  with 
the  Lord  in  the  flesh,  a  special  revelation  of  the  risen  Jesus 
was  granted  him.  Now,  why  were  only  such  men  chosen  for 
the  apostleship  as  knew  beyond  a  doubt  that  Jesus  had  risen 
from  the  dead?  Obviously,  because  this  was  the  one  thing 
always  in  question,  among  Jews  and  Gentiles  alike,  when- 
ever the  apostles  taught  the  gospel.  All  else  in  the  new  re- 
ligion revolved  around  this  point  and  derived  its  meaning 
from  it.  If  this  could  be  proved,  men  would  yield  their  be- 
lief. And  so  God  provided  the  world  with  men  who  could 
testify  from  personal  knowledge :  "Him  whom  ye  delivered 
up  to  death,  God  hath  raised  from  the  dead ;  whereof  we  are 
■witnesses!" 

And  does  any  one  suppose  that  this  Special  Restorer  of 
the  gospel  in  our  age  would  require  a  l«es  definite  and  pos- 
itive qualification  ?  He  was  to  usher  in  the  Dispensation  of 
the  Fulness  of  Times  in  which,  according  to  the  prophets, 
God  "might  gather  together  in  one  all  things  in  Christ, 
both  which  are  in  heaven  and  which  are  on  earth."  It  was, 
moreover,  to  be  the  Dispensation  immediately  preceding  the 
Thousand  Years  of  Peace  and  the  Personal  Reign  of  Christ 
on  the  earth.  Then,  too,  he  was  to  encounter  wickedness  in 
high  places,  unbelief  in  the  Bible,  in  a  personal  God,  and  in 
a  future  life,  and  the  scoffs,  jeers,  and  opposition  of  his  fel- 
low men,  to  an  extent  that  few  special  witnesses  have  en- 
countered whom  God  has  sent  to  earth.  Besides,  he  was  to 
come  to  an  age  the  proud  boast  of  which  was  that  it  had 
made  greater  progress  in  knowledge  and  general  civilization 
than  the  world  had  made  in  all  previous  time ;  and  his  con- 


26  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

temporaries  were  to  endeavor  to  overwhelm  him  and  his 
doctrines  by  this  flood  of  learning  and  science.  No  mere 
belief,  therefore,  however  strong,  in  what  had  been,  no  mere 
conviction,  however  positive,  of  what  ought  to  be,  could  be 
a  sufficient  qualification  for  so  gigantic  and  comprehensive 
a  mission.  Anything  short  of  a  revelation  such  as  Joseph 
actually  received  would  have  been  totally  inadequate  to  sus- 
tain the  weight  of  unbelief,  ridicule,  and  opposition  which  the 
world  was  to  heap  upon  the  head  of  this  youthful  Seer. 
Had  his  attitude  toward  the  religions  of  the  world  been 
founded  alone  on  a  deduction  of  logic,  never  so  clarified,  or 
upon  the  interpretation  of  a  Scripture  passage,  however  cer- 
tain and  evident,  the  antagonism  with  which  his  opinions 
were  received  by  the  whole  world  might  well  have  oc- 
casioned a  pause  in  his  career  that  he  might  question  his 
soul  respecting  the  strength  and  correctness  of  his  convic- 
tions. He  would  then  have  been  pardoned  for  stopping  to 
re-examine  the  grounds  on  which  he  had  based  his  conclu- 
sions. At  it  was,  however,  Joseph  had  no  such  questionings 
— he  felt  no  need  of  any.  He  had  no  premises  to  examine, 
for  what  he  taught  was  not  a  conclusion  obtained  by  human 
reasoning.  What  he  did,  and  all  that  he  had  to  do,  was  to 
state  a  fact — There  is  a  personal  God,  for  I  have  seen  and 
spoken  with  him!  If  anything  in  human  experience  is 
certain,  then  this  Revelation  was  to  be  depended  upon. 

In  addition  to  this,  the  very  heart  of  all  the  falsehood  and 
error  that  had  grown  up  around  theology  and  religion  during 
the  Dark  Ages,  concerned  the  personality  of  God,  the  nature 
of  the  "Trinity,"  and  the  necessity  for  continued  revelation  in 
the  Church  of  Christ — the  identical  points  which  the  vision 
set  forth  with  such  singular  clearness.  Joseph  was  to  cor- 
rect these  wrong  notions  respecting  Deity.  Is  it  strange, 
therefore,  in  view  of  all  these  things,  that  the  great  modern 
Prophet,  the  Elias,  should  receive  one  of  the  most  transcend- 


LIGHT    FROM    HEAVEN  27 

ently  glorious  and  magnificent  revelations  ever  vouchsafed 
to  man — that  God  the  Father  and  his  Son  Jesus  Christ 
should  appear  to  him  in  vision  and  speak  to  him  face  to 
face  as  a  man  talks  with  his  friend? 

The  effect  of  this  manifestation  on  the  young  man's  mind 
was  exactly  what  might  naturally  have  been  expected.  It 
made  him  bold  and  aggressively  independent  beyond  the  com- 
prehension of  his  fellowmen — precisely  the  same  effect  of 
similar  revelations  in  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  era. 

The  apostles  of  Jesus,  under  the  spell  of  their  visions  of 
the  risen  Lord^  went  forth  with  a  zeal,  an  energy,  and  a 
fearlessness  that  appeared  to  their  contemporaries  the  sheer- 
est madness.  Threatenings,  humiliations,  fire,  the  sword,  the 
dungeon,  and,  indeed,  all  these  combined  availed  nothing  with 
these  men  so  deeply  had  the  waters  of  their  soul  been  agitat- 
ed by  what  they  had  seen  and  heard.  When  dragged  before 
the  rulers  of  the  Jews  and  threatened,  on  pain  of  severe  pun- 
ishment by  the  law  of  the  land  if  they  spoke  henceforth  to 
any  man  in  the  sacred  name  of  their  Master,  they  answered : 
"Whether  it  be  right  in  the  sight  of  God  to  hearken  unto 
you  more  than  unto  God,  judge  ye ;  we  ought  to  obey  God 
rather  than  man."  And  in  the  end  of  such  a  career,  these 
apostles,  almost  to  a  man,  sealed  their  testimony  with  their 
blood.  It  was  precisely  so  with  this  modern  prophet.  Every 
fiber  of  his  soul  thrilled  with  certainty  as  to  the  revelation  he 
had  received  and  his  mission  in  the  earth.  And  with  a  sub- 
lime courage,  such  as  the  world  rarely  witnesses,  he  stood 
alone  thundering  forth  his  message  to  mankind  in  the  teeth 
of  their  fiercest  anger  and  violence.  Nothing  could  deter 
him  from  the  accomplishment  of  his  mighty  task,  neither 
contumely,  violence  and  imprisonment,  nor  the  fear  of 
death ;  and  like  his  prototypes,  the  Baptist  and  the  ancient 
apostles,  he  put  the  seal  of  martyrdom  upon  his  testimony. 

This  bold  and  independent  attitude  on  the  part  of  Jos- 


28  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

eph  Smith  has  been  mistaken  by  an  unbelieving  generation 
for  natural  egotism.  And  it  must  be  admitted  that  some 
things  in  his  general  conduct  appear  to  give  color  to  such  an 
interpretation  of  his  life.  His  spirited  defiance  of  the  whole 
religious  and  learned  world;  his  daring  denunciations  of 
tenets  made  sacred  by  centuries  of  devotion  and  trust;  his 
energetic  measures  towards  the  growth  and  protection  of  Jus 
system  of  religion;  and  probably  most  of  all  by  his  high 
tones  of  disdain  towards  ministers  who  had  nothing  but  the 
learning  of  the  schools  to  support  their  teachings,— all  this 
doubtless  might  be  interpreted  as  overweaning  arrogance. 
But  such  was  not  the  character  of  Joseph  Smith.  The  world, 
after  all  deductions  are  made  on  the  score  of  natural  self-re- 
liance, is  woefully  wrong  in  its  conception  of  this  man's 
character.  His  enthusiasm  was  the  enthusiasm  of  a  soul  on 
fire  with  truth,  not  of  ignorant  excitability.  His  boldness  and 
independence  were  the  boldness  and  independence  of  an 
overmastering  conviction  of  duty.  The  spectacle  of  a  man 
wholly  absorbed  in  his  work  is  so  rare  as  to  excite  the  curi- 
osity of  the  vulgar  and  to  invite  their  ridicule  and  enmity. 
Howard  relieving  human  woe  in  dingy  prisons ;  Galileo  re- 
vealing new  truths  concerning  the  stars ;  Columbus  discover- 
ing another  world ;  and,  if  we  may  say  it  without  irreverence 
by  the  comparison,  the  Lord  Jesus  working  out  the  earth's 
redemption  and  man's — these  have  brought  on  misunder- 
standings enough  to  teach  men  a  sad  lesson. 

Joseph  Smith  was  not  a  fanatic,  he  was  not  an  egotist ;  he 
was  only  one  of  those  few — one  in  a  generation — who  come 
into  the  world  bearing  a  message  of  truth  from  heaven,  and 
who  cannot  rest  until  they  have  done  their  full  duty,  whatever 
treatment  they  may  receive  in  return.  He  had  a  herculean 
task  to  per  form,  which  was  to  uproot  an  old  faith  consecrated 
by  many  hundred  years  of  devotion,  and  to  replace  that  by  a 
new  one ;  and  no  timorous,  apologetic,  pusillanimous  conduct 


LIGHT    FROM    HEAVEN  29 

would  have  accomplished  the  work  which  had  been  imposed 
upon  him.  Indeed,  it  would  have  been  just  cause  for  astonish- 
ment had  Joseph's  attitude  toward  the  religious  world  been 
anything  but  bold,  energetic,  aggressive.  God  Almighty  had 
told  him  with  his  own  lips,  as  the  boy  stood  in  the  divine 
presence,  that  none  of  the  creeds  among  men  was  recognized 
by  Heaven,  and  that  he  had  been  chosen  to  bring  about  a 
restoration  of  the  true  faith ;  and  relying  implicitly  on  the 
word  of  God  to  him,  he  permitted  nothing  to  turn  him  aside 
from  the  path  of  his  duty.  What  the  world  required  was  not 
only  an  authoritative  announcement  concerning  their  false 
creeds  and  the  true  way,  but  that  announcement  in  tones  that 
would  reverberate  throughout  the  world.  And  they  obtained 
it  in  the  voice  of  the  Modern  Seer. 

Such  then,  was  the  meaning  which  this  great  revelation 
had  for  the  Prophet.  Its  significance  to  the  world,  however, 
was  to  be  even  greater. 

Let  it  not  be  put  down  to  narrowness  and  egotism  in  the 
entire  body  of  "Mormons"  that  they  look  upon  this  vision  as 
of  so  much  importance  as  to  concern  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
the  whole  human  family.  Equally  lowly  and  insignificant 
events  in  the  world's  history  have  touched  the  interests  of 
the  entire  race  of  man.  Who,  for  instance,  living  in  the 
days  of  Herod  the  Great,  in  Palestine,  would  have  believed 
that  a  child  born  of  peasants  in  such  an  obscure  village  as 
Bethlehem,  and  under  such  circumstances  as  surrounded  the 
birth  of  Christ,  would  say  and  do  things  that  would  color 
and  condition  the  stream  of  human  thought,  from  his  day 
onward,  and  would  contribute  more  than  all  other  persons 
whatsoever  toward  the  elevation  of  mankind  in  what  is  per- 
manently good  and  true?  And  yet  this  is  exactly  what  has 
occurred.  Surely,  before  such  a  solemn  fact,  silence,  not 
scorn,  would  be  the  better  attitude  on  the  part  of  those  who 
treat  "Mormonism"  with  contempt.    And  so  the  Saints  have 


30  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

always  contended  that  this  first  revelation  of  Joseph  Smith's, 
is  fraught  wiU  grave  consequences  to  mankind,  whether 
they  will  receive  it  or  not.  Nor  could  it  be  otherwise,  and 
maintain  its  distinctively  divine  character,  any  more  than 
the  message  of  any  of  the  other  prophets  could  be,  or  even 
that  of  Jesus  himself.  Such  is  the  inevitable  nature  of  truth 
— it  will  either  save  or  condemn  those  who  hear  it. 

This  vision  was,  in  the  first  place,  an  authoritative  an- 
nouncement to  all  the  world  that  the  Church  of  Christ  was 
not  to  be  found  on  the  earth.  Many  independent  and  pro- 
gressive men  had  already,  it  is  true,  arrived  at  this  conclu- 
sion through  their  own  unaided  reflections,  and  had  with- 
drawn from  the  churches  either  to  make  an  honest  effort  to- 
wards bringing  about  a  return  to  primitive  Christianity,  or 
to  await  in  silence  the  restoration  of  the  true  church.  Many 
others  had  felt  vaguely  that  everything  was  not  as  it  should 
be  with  their  religion,  but  believed  it  better  to  be  associated 
with  some  one  of  the  sects  than  to  break  away  from  them  all. 
But  a  great  many,  perhaps  the  majority  of  Christians,  re- 
posed as  much  confidence  in  their  man-invented  creeds  as  if 
these  had  been  fresh-written  by  the  finger  of  God.  Their 
faith,  however,  was  destined  to  receive  a  rude  shock  in  the 
first  message  of  "Mormonism."  "Your  creeds  are  all  wrong," 
declared  this  new  faith,  "and  are  an  abomination  in  the  sight 
of  the  Lord.  Your  professors  teach  for  doctrines  the  com- 
mandments of  men ;  and  have  a  form  of  godliness,  but  deny 
the  power  thereof."  There  was  no  vagueness  or  ambiguity 
here,  no  hesitancy  in  the  tones  with  which  it  was  delivered. 
The  young  Prophet  spoke  as  one  having  authority  and  not 
as  the  uninspired.  No  wonder  that  since  these  strong  words 
were  first  uttered  men  have  frequently  turned  with  alarm 
to  a  re-examination, sometimes  to  a  recasting,of  their  creeds. 

Of  the  changes  that  occurred  in  religion,  not  only  in 
the  form  of  the  Church  organization,  but  also  in  some  of 


LIGHT    FROM    HEAVEN  31 

the  fundamental  principles  and  ordinances,  it  will  be  suffi- 
cient here  only  to  mention  some  of  the  more  important  of 
these.  It  is  not  urged  that  the  apostasy  came  about  all  at 
once,  that  men  retired  at  night  Christians  to  find  themselves 
next  morning  outside  the  pale  of  the  church ;  or  even  that  it 
occurred  in  one  generation.  The  change  happened  gradu- 
ally as  day  fades  into  night.  During  the  first  three  cen- 
turies after  Christ,  the  Church  was  harassed  and  persecuted 
by  Jew  and  Gentile,  and  thousands  were  put  to  death.  In 
their  scattered  and  unsettled  condition  it  was  impossible 
for  the  leaders  to  exercise  personal  supervision  over  the 
Saints.  Hence,  little  errors  crept  in  here  and  there,  which 
in  time  became  a  fixed  part  of  religion.  In  those  perilous 
times  the  quorum  of  apostles  was  not  perpetuated;  and 
when  these  died,  there  was  no  supreme  earthly  head  to  teach 
the  same  inspired  doctrine  to  all  the  separate  branches. 
And  when  revelation  ceased,  men  soon  began  to  look 
for  reasons  why  it  was  no  longer  necessary.  These  dif- 
ferent Christian  societies,  left  to  themselves,  dwindled  awav 
from  the  truth,  step  by  step,  and  in  separate  paths,  till, 
under  the  ''bishops"  of  Rome,  a  great  many  of  them  were 
brought  to  a  reasonable  harmony  of  doctrine,  but  not  to  the 
original  way.  Then  followed  those  days  of  peace,  when  the 
church  suffered  more  alterations  from  its  contact  with  Pa- 
ganism than  it  had  through  the  period  of  its  gloomiest  per- 
secution. The  Empire  became  "Christian,"  the  Church  be- 
came popular;  the  divine  precepts  of  Jesus  were  "received" 
by  heathen  minds  where  they  were  gradually  remolded  into 
a  form  which  its  divine  Founder  would  have  been  unable  to 
recognize;  concessions  were  made  to  the  unbelievers  in  or- 
der to  bring  them  into  the  fold ;  doctrines  were  changed ; 
worship  was  made  more  gorgeous  to  correspond  with  what 
the  new  converts  had  been  accustomed  to;  the  absurd  and 
unscriptural  doctrine  of  trans-substantiation  and  the  eleva- 


32  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

tion  of  the  host  was  introduced ;  immersion  became  sprink- 
ling; the  baptism  of  adults  was  succeeded  by  the  baptism 
of  infants ;  the  simple  and  lucid  idea  of  the  Godhead  became 
a  hopeless  muddle  in  minds  that  had  been  used  to  the  soph- 
ism of  the  Neo-Platonic  philosophy ;  bishops  lost  the  stand- 
ard of  judging  truth ;  and  the  whole  procession  of  pompous 
and  glittering  error  marched  down  the  centuries,  accumu- 
lating in  kind  as  it  went,  until  almost  every  remnant  of 
Christian  truth  was  overwhelmed  in  the  darkness  of  the 
Middle  Ages. 

All  this  the  Protestants  will  admit  and  the  Catholics 
cannot  deny.  And  yet  Protestants  and  Catholics  alike  con- 
tinue to  adhere  to  their  peculiar  forms  of  religion ;  the  lat- 
ter because  they  cannot  see  that  their  dark  history  denies 
them  the  honor  of  being  the  depository  of  God's  truth,  the 
former  because  they  imagine  that  the  Reformation  correct- 
ed these  abuses  and  restored  the  pure  flame  of  the  primitive 
Church.  But  a  little  reflection  by  the  light  of  this  latter-day 
vision,  will  show  how  utterly  untenable  such  a  position  is. 
In  view  of  the  history  of  the  "Christian  Church,"  how  could 
the  authority  of  the  holy  priesthood  have  been  transmitted 
through  such  unholy  vessels  as  we  know  existed  in  the 
mediaeval  clergy?  That,  after  all,  is  the  vital  question,  not 
the  external  changes,  nor  even  the  changes  in  principle,  great 
as  these  were,  which  have  taken  place  in  religion ;  for  these 
are  simply  indications  of  a  lack  of  divine  authority.  That 
is  the  question,  too,  which  "Mormonism"  asks  the  religious, 
world.  Everything  else  may  be  brushed  aside,  in  this  con- 
troversy, as  of  comparative  insignificance.  In  vain  is  it 
that  ministers  in  the  churches  of  Christendom  point  to  the 
commission  of  Jesus  to  his  apostles.  That  was  given  alone 
to  them,  the  eleven  as  they  sat  with  him  upon  the  Mount  of 
Olives.  In  vain,  too,  may  Protestant  clergymen  invoke  the 
aid  of  tradition  and  say  that  they  obtain  their  authority  from 


LIGHT    FROM    HEAVEN    .  33 

the  apostles  through  the  Catholic  Church.  The  Roman 
hierarchy  cut  them  off  as  apostates  and  delivered  them  over 
to  the  buffetings  of  Satan,  and  hence  whatever  divine  calling 
they  may  formerly  have  held  was  revoked  by  their  act  of 
severing  themselves  from  the  see  of  Rome. 

But  in  vain  likewise  may  the  Catholics  themselves  point  to 
their  long  line  of  succession  from  St.  Peter  to  Pius  the  Tenth. 
For  even  if  it  were  certain  that  the  chief  of  the  apostles  held 
the  Roman  bishopric,  and  if,  moreover,  there  were  no  fatal 
gaps  in  this  long  succession,  it  is  inconceivable  that  the 
Priesthood  of  the  Son  of  God  should  have  flowed  down  to  us 
through  such  a  corrupt  channel  as  extended  from  the  days 
immediately  succeeding  those  of  the  apostles  to  our  own. 
And  since  both  Catholics  and  Protestants  scorn,  not  only 
the  fact  of  new  revelation,  but  also  the  need  for  any,  it 
is  perfectly  clear  that  they  are  altogether  without  divine  au- 
thority. It  is  doubtless  true  that  the  Protestant  "Reforma- 
tion" and  what  is  termed  the  Catholic  "Counter-Reforma- 
tion" lopped  off  a  good  many  withered  branches,  modified  a 
few  ceremonies,  and  purified  morals  in  the  church.  But  this 
did  not,  and  could  not,  restore  fche  priesthood.  That  could  be 
done  only  by  a  reopening  of  the  heavens  and  a  bestowal  of  it 
upon  men  by  those  who  unquestionably  held  it  anciently. 
Such,  pressed  to  its  last  analysis,  is  the  meaning  of  the  apos- 
tasy— the  great  significance,  also,  to  the  world,  of  this  first 
revelation  to  the  modern  Prophet. 

In  the  next  place,  this  vision  was  a  corrective  of  many 
false  notions  that  had  grown  up  between  this  and  the  apos- 
tolic age  respecting  the  personality  of  God  and  the  nature  of 
the  Godhead.  Jesus  taught  that  "to  know"  the  Father  and 
the  Son  is  "life  eternal."  But  in  no  respect  has  modern 
Christianity  departed  farther  from  the  truth  than  in  this 
particular.  The  Christian  God  of  today  no  more  resembles 
the  God  of  the  Bible  than  the  incoherent  utterances  of  the 


34  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

idiot  are  like  the  profound  and  subtle  reasonings  of  the  phil- 
osopher. Instead  of  the  vague  and  formless  deity  that  apos- 
tate Christianity  has  conjured  up  out  of  the  depths  of  pagan 
philosophy  and  mysticism,  we  have  in  this  revelation  a  clear 
and  distinct  personality,  not  only  of  the  Son,  but  also  of  the 
Father.  This  is  why  the  angel  of  John's  Revelation,  who  in 
the  last  days  was  to  deliver  his  message  to  "every  nation, 
and  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,"  cried  with  a  loud 
voice :  "Worship  him  that  made  the  heavens  and  the  earth, 
the  sea  and  the  fountains  of  water ;"  and  it  was  the  task  of 
this  first  vision  to  swing  the  ideas  of  mankind  round  to  the 
true  God  from  the  "incorporeal,"  "bodiless  and  passionless" 
being  of  the  modern  world.  With  respect  to  the  unity  of  the 
Godhead  there  is  a  similar  divergence  from  the  Scriptural 
doctrine.  The  almost  universal  opinion  of  Christians  today 
is  that  there  are  three  Gods  mysteriously  fused  into  one  per- 
sonality; in  other  words,  that  there  are  three  Gods  in  one. 
"There  is  one  person  of  the  Father,  another  of  the  Son,  and 
another  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  is  the  contradictory  jargon 
of  the  Athanasian  creed,  which  is  considered  orthodox  by 
most  Christians ;  "and  yet  there  are  not  three  eternals,  but 
one  eternal." 

But  this  vision  of  the  modern  Prophet  reveals  clearly  the 
mystifying  effects  and  the  absurdity  of  such  a  conception,  if 
it  can  really  be  called  by  so  definite  a  term,  and  brings  out 
the  Scriptural  doctrine  in  a  way  that  cannot  be  mistaken.  In 
the  first  place,  God  wears  the  same  form  that  man  does. 
That  is  to  say,  He  is  in  bodily  form,  has  a  body  of  flesh  and 
bones  like  man's,  with  this  essential  difference,  however, 
that  God  is  perfect  and  glorified  and  immortal.  And  this 
applies  to  both  the  Father  and  the  Son.  In  the  next  place, 
these  two  Personages  are  as  separate  and  distinct  as  any 
two  human  individuals  are.  Two  heavenly  Beings  appeared 
to  Joseph,  and  one,  pointing  to  the  other,  said,  "This  is  My 


LIGHT    FROM    HEAVEN  35 

Beloved  Son."  There  is  no  vagueness  here,  no  mystic  and 
unintelligible  union ;  there  can  be  no  occasion  for  refined 
quibbling  over  this  revelation.  Men  might  dispute  concern- 
ing the  apparently  plain  declarations  of  the  Scriptures,  but 
here  was  no  possibility  of  misconception  or  difference  of 
opinion.     Here  was  a  fact,  not  merely  an  expression. 

Indeed,  in  this  first  vision  of  the  Prophet's  there  is  es- 
sentially a  reinforcement  of  the  great  fundamentals  of  the 
Christian  faith.  "Mormonism,"  in  this  revelation,  came  for- 
ward as  a  reaffirmation  of  Bible  doctrine.  It  declared  sub- 
stantially to  the  world :  "You  have  departed  from  the  truth, 
and  made  the  word  of  God  of  none  effect  by  your  traditions. 
You  have  not  truly  believed  the  Scriptures,  else  you  would 
long  ago  have  settled  your  differences.  You  have  not  be- 
lieved in  the  efficacy  of  prayer.  You  have  spurned  the  only 
source  of  wisdom,  and  gone  after  the  opinions  of  men, 
which  have  led  you  woefully  astray.  But  the  Bible  is  true ; 
there  is  efficacy  in  prayer.  Moreover,  you  have  denied  the 
need  of  revelations,  visions,  miracles,  when  you  had  no  au- 
thority in  the  word  of  God  for  doing  so.  These  things  are 
as  necessary  now  as  they  ever  were  at  any  time  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  world."  Such,  in  brief,  is  the  message  of  "Mor- 
monism" to  the  world  in  this  revelation. 

It  is  not  contended  that  these  points  which  we  have  enu- 
merated were  new  to  the  world.  On  the  contrary,  it  is 
admitted  that  they  are  taught  in  the  Bible.  But  the  value  of 
the  vision  is  not  lessened  to  this  generation  on  that  account ; 
it  is  still  a  revelation  in  the  full  sense  of  the  term.  For  in 
every  one  of  these  particulars  the  Christian  world  had  left 
the  way  of  truth,  and  it  was  in  essentially  the  same  condi- 
tion, so  far  as  these  doctrines  were  concerned,  as  it  would 
have  been  if  these  important  truths  had  not  been  set  forth 
in  the  Scriptures.  A  profound  quiet  had  settled  down  upon 
the  soul  of  man,  which  exercised  a  deadening  influence  over 


36  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

him  religiously.  He  looked  but  saw  not;  he  had  ears  but 
heard  not ;  he  had  a  heart,  but  was  totally  unable  to  compre- 
hend. What  was  needed,  therefore,  was  a  voice  to  break 
the  stillness,  a  bold  statement  of  these  facts  in  tones  that  no 
one  could  misunderstand.  And  this  was  a  part  of  the  mis- 
sion of  the  Prophet  Joseph,  which  he  accomplished  with 
singular  fidelity  and  power. 

In  view  of  all  these  things  we  can  better  comprehend  the 
fact  that  the  Father  and  the  Son  visited  the  earth  on  this 
occasion.  Such  a  thing,  so  far  at  least  as  we  have  any  in- 
formation, had  never  occurred  before  in  the  history  of  man, 
though  we  read  of  instances  where  each  appeared  separately. 
This  vision  was  to  notify  the  world  of  certain  important 
facts  concerning  tne  creeds  of  men,  the  true  nature  of  God, 
the  opening  of  the  new  Era,  in  preparation  for  the  second 
coming  of  Christ.  In  a  word,  the  Dispensation  of  the  Ful- 
ness of  Times  was  ushered  in  by  this  /evelation.  This  is 
why  the  Father  and  the  Son  appeared,  and  why,  too,  the 
Prince  of  the  air  sought  so  desperately  the  destruction  of 
the  instrument  of  this  great  restoration  on  the  very  thresh- 
old of  a  mighty  epoch. 


CHAPTER  II 


THE  OTHER  SHEEP 


From  the  spring  of  1820  to  the  autumn  of  1823 — a  period 
of  nearly  three  years  and  a  half — Joseph  received  no  further 
communication   from  heaven. 

An  Interval  of  Three  Years. 

During  this  time,  he  tells  us,  he  "frequently  fell  into  many 
foolish  errors,  and  displayed  the  weakness  of  youth  and  the 
foibles  of  human  nature."  We  need  not  be  at  all  surprised 
at  this.  He  was  persecuted  by  those  who,  according  to  the 
principles  they  affected  so  devoutly  to  believe,  should  have 
endeavored,  in  a  teachable  spirit,  to  convince  him  that  he 
was  wrong  in  crediting  his  vision ;  or,  failing  in  this,  ought 
at  least  to  have  followed  Gamaliel's  advice,  given  under  cir- 
cumstances not  dissimilar:  "If  this  work  is  of  men,  it  will 
come  to  naught,  but  if  it  be  of  God,  we  cannot  overthrow 
it,  lest  haply  we  be  found  even  to  fight  against  God."  But 
they  chose  to  use  a  less  tolerant  method.  His  company  was 
shunned  by  those  whom  he  would  otherwise  have  associated 
with,  and  he  was,  therefore,  driven  into  the  society  of  a 
less  desirable  class,  and  exposed  to  temptation.  Being  of  a 
jovial  disposition,  moreover,  he  did  not  always  resist  the  evil 
into  which  he  was  thrown. 

It  is  not  to  be  inferred  from  this,  however,  that  he  was 
guilty  of  any  grave  sin,  such  as  those  have  tried  to  make  out 
who  take  advantage  of  his  candid  avowals  concerning  his 
earlier  life.    His  errors  consisted  only  of  the  usual  follies  of 


38  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS    OF    MORMON  ISM 

young  persons  of  his  condition  of  life — levity  and  trifling 
conversation.  "It  cannot  be  shown,"  he  says,  in  answer  to 
those  who  afterwards  made  the  most  of  the  words  quoted 
above,  "that  I  have  been  guilty  of  wronging  or  injuring 
any  man  or  society  of  men."  Nevertheless,  such  was  the 
sensitiveness  of  his  nature,  and  so  deeply  had  his  feelings 
been  touched  by  the  vision,  that  his  conscience  pricked  him 
keenly  for  any  misstep  he  might  have  taken,  however  slight. 
It  might  seem  a  small  matter  for  others  to  sow  the  seeds  of 
youthful  folly — such  must  have  been  his  reflections  during 
this  period — but  he  had  in  open  vision  been  called  in  a  sin- 
gular manner  to  the  greatest  of  all  human  labor.  It  would 
not  do,  therefore,  for  him  to  pattern  after  his  associates ;  he 
must  order  his  life  in  harmony  with  his  own  higher  con- 
science and  the  divine  calling  which  had  been  imposed  upon 
him. 

It  argues  a  frank  and  open  soul  in  the  Prophet  Joseph, 
and  evidences  his  sacred  appointment,  that,  in  subsequent 
years,  when  he  had  gathered  about  him  many  thousand 
people  who  looked  to  him  for  spiritual  guidance,  he  pub- 
lished an  account  of  these  early  weaknesses ;  for  in  doing  so 
he  exposed  himself  to  the  evil-minded  and  the  skeptical. 
Had  he  been  a  false  prophet,  he  would  ever  have  been  on  the 
alert  to  disarm  suspicion  by  enshrouding  his  past  in  a  mys- 
terious and  holy  atmosphere,  after  the  manner  of  religious 
impostors.  But  a  candid,  honest  avowal  of  his  imperfec- 
tions conformed  better  with  his  claim  of  prophet.  He  was 
content  to  let  the  works  that  he  did  testify  of  his  divine 
calling.  And  the  Saints,  knowing  his  candor  even  when  his 
reputation  might  suffer  thereby,  felt  that  they  could  trust 
him  implicitly  in  all  things. 

During  these  years  he  was  always  employed,  either  on 
his  father's  farm  or  on  the  farms  of  his  neighbors.  Among 
those  for  whom  he  worked  at  this  time  was  a  man  by  the 


THE   OTHER    SHEEP  39 

name  of  Joseph  Knight,  who  afterwards  testified  that  the 
young  man  always  did  his  work  intelligently  and  faithfully. 
A  Mr.  Reid,  too,  a  man  who  never  joined  the  Church,  but 
who,  on  at  least  two  occasions  later  than  this,  defended  the 
Prophet  in  the  courts  of  law,  before  which  Joseph  had  been 
unjustly  dragged  by  his  enemies,  made  a  statement  concern- 
ing the  character  of  Joseph  during  this  period  of  his  life. 
He  declares  that,  during  the  two  years  Joseph  lived  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Colesville,  he  was  known  as  a  young  man 
of  "irreproachable  character,  intelligence,  and  good  morals, 
possessing  a  mind  susceptible  of  the  highest  attainments." 
Meantime,  the  Prophet  steadfastly  maintained  wherever  he 
went  that  he  had  received  a  heavenly  manifestation ;  and  in 
consequence  continued  to  suffer  a  great  deal  of  opposition, 
chiefly  from  the  professedly  religious. 

Moroni's  Message. 

It  was  now  the  twenty-first  of  September,  1823.  Night  had 
settled  down  on  the  little  town  of  Manchester,  and  the 
Smith  family,  including  the  boy  Joseph,  had  retired  to  rest. 
But  the  young  man's  spirit  was  troubled.  He  thought 
upon  the  vision  of  three  and  a  half  years  ago,  and  upon  the 
long  silence  that  had  intervened  between  that  glorious  reve- 
lation and  the  present.  Why  had  not  the  Lord  spoken  to 
him  during  all  this  time?  Had  there  not  been  in  that  vision 
a  promise  of  future  direction?  Doubtless  it  was  on  account 
of  his  sins  that  this  promise  had  not  been  fulfilled.  He  had 
not  unlikely,  he  thought,  exhibited  a  mind  too  light  and 
careless  to  be  the  instrument  of  the  great  Restoration.  God, 
it  might  be,  accounted  him  too  weak  and  unworthy  to  con- 
tinue the  work  so  miraculously  begun.  But  could  he  not  be 
forgiven?  Surely,  his  sins  had  not  been  so  grievous  as  to- 
tally to  unfit  him  for  his  promised  labor.  Touched  to  the 
quick  by  a  consciousness  of  his  imperfections,  he  deeply  re- 


40  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

gretted  that  he  had  ever  given  way  to  temptation.  His  soul 
yearned  to  know  his  status  with  heaven.  He  determined, 
therefore,  to  pray,  and  his  faith  was  strong  that  God  would 
deign  an  answer. 

Suddenly,  as  he  prayed,  his  room  grew  light  until  it  was 
like  noonday  for  brightness.  A  heavenly  person,  beautiful 
beyond  description,  appeared  at  his  bedside,  standing  in 
the  air  and  encircled  by  the  most  brilliant  light.  He  had 
on  a  loose-flowing  robe  of  the  most  exquisite  whiteness — a 
whiteness  above  anything  earthly ;  and  he  apparently  wore 
no  other  clothing,  for  the  robe  was  open  at  the  bosom.  The 
hands  and  wrists  were  bare,  as  also  were  the  feet  and  ankles 
and  head.  His  countenance  shone  with  ineffable  light  and 
beauty. 

At  first  Joseph  was  afraid,  but  the  benign  countenance 
and  the  gentle  voice  of  the  angel,  as  he  pronounced  the 
young  man's  name,  dispelled  all  fear.  The  holy  personage 
announced  himself  to  be  Moroni,  an  angel  sent  from  the 
presence  of  God.  The  Lord  had  a  work  for  Joseph  to  do,  in 
consequence  of  which  his  name  should  be  had  among  all  na- 
tions for  good  and  evil.  This  work  concerned  a  book  of 
golden  plates  which  lay  buried  in  a  hill  near  Manchester  and 
which  gave  an  account  of  the  origin  and  history  of  the  an- 
cient inhabitants  of  this  continent,  the  ancestors  of  the 
American  Indians.  In  addition,  the  record  contained  the 
fulness  of  the  gospel  as  it  was  given  these  people  by  the 
Savior  in  person.  With  the  book  lay  hidden  the  urim  and 
thummim,  an  instrument  which  the  Lord  had  preserved 
for  the  purpose  of  translating  the  record.  The  time  had 
not  yet  come  for  Joseph  to  receive  the  plates  ;  he  would 
have  to  wait  a  little  while  till  the  Lord  saw  fit  to  intrust 
him  with  them ;  and  even  when  they  were  given  into  his 
hands,  he  would  be  prohibited  from  showing  them  to  any 
one  except  as  God  might  direct. 


THE   OTHER    SHEEP  41 

Then  Moroni  quoted  some  of  the  ancient  prophecies. 
He  repeated  the  third  and  fourth  chapters  of  Malachi,  in 
which  the  ancient  prophet  foretells  Christ's  second  coming, 
preceded,  as  was  the  first,  by  a  special  messenger,  and  the 
great  and  terrible  day  of  burning  that  shall  come  upon  the 
ungodly.  He  quoted  the  eleventh  chapter  of  Isaiah,  which 
speaks  of  the  gathering  in  the  last  days,  with  the  comment 
that  these  predictions  were  about  to  be  fulfilled.  He  ex- 
plained that  the  prophet  spoken  of  in  the  twenty-second  and 
twenty-third  verses  of  the  third  chapter  of  The  Acts  is  Jesus 
Christ,  but  that  the  time  had  not  yet  come  when  "every  soul 
which  will  not  hear  that  prophet  shall  be  destroyed."  Then 
he  commented  upon  the  second  chapter  of  Joel  from  the 
twenty-eighth  to  the  last  verse.  Not  all  the  prophecy  was 
fulfilled  at  the  time  of  the  apostle  Peter's  discourse  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost,  but  all  should  soon  be  fulfilled.  He  re- 
peated other  passages  of  Scripture  and  made  comments 
thereon.  How  the  face  of  the  young  listener  must  have 
glowed  and  his  heart  thrilled  with  joy  or  terror  as  he  lis- 
tened alternately  to  the  gentle  music  of  the  voice  that  uttered 
blessings  on  those  who  would  tread  the  ways  of  peace,  and 
to  the  thundering  accents  that  predicted  wrath  and  destruc- 
tion on  the  heads  of  the  disobedient. 

The  voice  of  the  angel  ceased ;  the  room  became  dark 
and  quiet  as  before ;  the  heavenly  Messenger  had  gone ;  and 
the  youthful  Joseph  was  alone  marveling  at  the  strangeness 
of  what  he  had  seen  and  heard.  All  of  a  sudden,  Moroni 
reappeared,  surrounded  as  before  with  brilliant  light,  repeat- 
ed, without  the  slightest  variation,  the  message  he  had  only 
a  moment  ago  finished,  and  added  that  great  judgments 
should  come  upon  the  ungodly  soon — pestilence,  disease, 
earthquakes,  death  by  famine,  the  waves,  and  the  sword. 
Again  he  ascended  in  a  conduit  of  light,  which  had  gath- 
ered in  an  instant  about  his  person ;  and  again  Joseph  was 


42  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

alone  in  the  dark,  utterly  overwhelmed  with  astonishment. 
Once  more  the  heavenly  Messenger  was  at  his  bedside ;  once 
more  he  repeated  the  message  that  he  had  already  twice  de- 
livered, and  this  time  also  without  variation  of  a  word.  He 
added  a  caution  and  warning  to  Joseph  that,  in  consequence 
of  the  lowly  circumstances  of  his  father's  family  and  the 
great  worth  of  the  plates,  Satan  would  tempt  him  to  use 
them  for  material  gain.  But  they  were  sacred  and  were  not 
to  be  used  except  for  a  sacred  purpose.  If,  therefore,  Joseph 
should  entertain  any  worldly  intentions  concerning  them, 
they  should  not  be  intrusted  to  his  care ;  but  if,  on  the  con- 
trary, he  would  determine  in  his  owTn  mind  to  use  them  only 
as  God  might  direct,  no  power  should  be  permitted  to  inter- 
fere with  the  work  of  translation.  With  this  third  visit  the 
vision  closed,  and  Joseph's  room  was  flooded  by  the  early 
dawn. 

Joseph  Visits  Cumorah. 

At  the  usual  hour  Joseph  rose  and  went  into  the  field  to  reap 
with  his  father  and  his  brother  Alvin.  But  his  thoughts 
were  elsewhere  than  on  his  work.  He  was  extremely  pale, 
and  utterly  exhausted  from  the  past  night's  extraordinary 
scenes.  His  father,  noticing  his  condition  and  thinking  it 
due  to  a  sudden  attack  of  illness,  told  him  to  return  to  the 
house.  He  started  on  his  way,  but  in  attempting  to  climb 
over  the  fence  bounding  the  field,  his  strength  deserted  him, 
and  he  fell  to  the  ground  unconscious.  On  coming  to  him- 
self, he  heard  his  name  gently  pronounced,  and  looking  up 
beheld  the  heavenly  Messenger  of  the  previous  night  stand- 
ing above  him  in  the  air,  surrounded  as  before  with  brilliant 
light.  Then,  for  the  fourth  time,  Moroni  delivered  his  mes- 
sage, all  he  had  spoken  three  times  the  night  before,  ending 
with  a  command  for  Joseph  to  return  to  his  father  in  the 
field  and  tell  him  all  that  had  occurred,  and  afterwards  to 


THE   OTHER   SHEEP  43 

repair  to  the  hill  for  the  purpose  of  viewing  the  sacred  treas- 
ure. The  Prophet  went  back  as  directed,  and  rehearsed 
these  four  visions  to  his  father,  who  listened  to  the  mar- 
velous story,  and  then  bade  him  do  exactly  as  the  angel  had 
instructed  him. 

About  four  miles  south  of  Manchester,  where  Joseph 
lived,  midway  between  this  town  and  Palmyra,  on  the  road 
to  Canandaigua,  stands  a  hill  which  the  stranger  would  easily 
and  naturally  observe  among  the  hills  in  the  neighborhood 
because  of  its  size  and  form.  It  is  not  large,  speaking  of 
hills  in  general,  but  is  much  larger  than  any  surrounding  it. 
Rising  abruptly  from  the  level  plain  on  the  north,  it  gradu- 
ally descends  till  its  southern  extremity  is  lost  in  small 
ridges  and  ravines.  At  this  time  there  was  a  heavy  growth 
of  timber  covering  the  hill,  and  this  circumstance  doubtless 
furnished  one  reason  for  choosing  it  in  ancient  times  as  a 
place  of  deposit  for  the  sacred  record.  At  present,  however, 
there  are  only  a  few  trees  scattered  here  and  there  on  the 
western  slope,  the  eastern  having  for  years  been  under  culti- 
vation. Anticipating  our  narrative  somewhat,  we  may  ob- 
serve that  the  hill  has  borne  various  names.  Among  the 
Jaredites — a  numerous  and  powerful  race  that  occupied 
North  America  from  the  confusion  of  tongues  at  Babel  till 
about  six  hundred  years  before  Christ — it  bore  the  name 
"Raman."  By  the  descendants  of  Lehi — a  people  who  flour- 
ished mainly  in  South  America  from  the  latter  date  till  the 
end  of  the  fourth  century,  A.  D. — it  was  called  "Cumorah." 
To  those  who  live  in  its  vicinity  today  it  is  known  as  "Mor- 
mon Hill,"  from  the  circumstance  of  Joseph's  finding  the 
plates  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  there.  According  to  the  an- 
cient record  so  long  buried  in  its  bosom,  this  hill  has  wit- 
nessed many  a  hard-fought  and  bloody  battle,  in  whose  gory 
balance  the  fates  of  powerful  nations  have  been  suspended ; 
and  the  war-like  heroes  of  two  expiring  races  have  here 


44     •  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

spent  their  last  efforts  in  defense  of  their  countries.  Cu- 
morah,  therefore,  is  in  reality  one  of  the  most  interesting 
and  historic  monuments  to  be  found  in  the  Americas. 

After  telling  his  father  of  the  angel's  appearing  and  in- 
structions, Joseph  proceeded  to  visit  this  hill.  On  the  way  he 
was  strongly  tempted  of  the  devil  as  the  angel  had  told  him 
he  would  be.  Thoughts  would  come  into  his  mind  of  the 
immense  commercial  value  of  this  golden  treasure  and  how 
by  disposing  of  it  he  might  raise  his  family  from  poverty 
into  a  state  of  comparative  wealth  and  influence.  Then 
would  press  upon  him  the  words  of  the  heavenly  keeper: 
"This  record  is  holy  and  must  be  used  only  for  holy  pur- 
poses." In  this  way  did  good  an  evil  intentions  struggle  in 
his  mind  for  the  mastery,  till  he  reached  the  hill ;  his  joy  at 
the  prospects  of  obtaining  the  treasured  records  would  be 
inevitably  followed  by  thoughts  of  hardship  and  toil  on  the 
one  hand  and  of  ease  and  plenty  on  the  other.  Nor  must  we 
be  at  all  surprised  at  this ;  for  Joseph  was  scarcely  eighteen 
years  of  age  at  the  time,  altogether  without  experience  in 
these  matters,  and,  besides,  his  family  was  even  now  in  poor 
circumstances.  The  natural  tendency  of  the  human  mind, 
therefore,  working  in  harmony  on  this  occasion  with  the 
powers  of  darkness,  would  make  of  the  great  commercial 
value  of  the  plates — not  only  in  the  wealth  of  the  metal 
itself,  but  also  in  the  record  as  a  mere  relic  of  ancient 
American  civilization — an  almost  overwhelming  temptation 
for  a  much  stronger  man  than  Joseph  Smith  was  then. 

Upon  reaching  the  hill  he  had  no  difficulty  in  recogniz- 
ing the  exact  spot  where  the  treasure  lay  buried,  having  seen 
the  hill  and  the  sacred  spot  in  vision  on  the  preceding  night 
while  the  angel  was  speaking  to  him.  Ascending  the  west- 
ern side  till  he  nearly  reached  the  top,  he  observed  the 
rounded  surface  of  a  large  stone,  the  edges  of  which  were 
embedded  in  the  earth.    With  the  aid  of  a  lever  he  removed 


THE   OTHER   SHEEP  45 

this  stone,  which  he  found  to  be  the  covering  of  a  box.  The 
box  had  evidently  been  constructed  by  standing  four  flat 
stones  edgewise  on  a  smooth  surface  of  a  fifth,  and  ce- 
menting the  joinings  to  prevent  any  moisture  from  reaching 
the  plates.  No  doubt  the  stone  which  formed  the  cover  had 
once  been  entirely  hidden  in  the  earth,  but  the  elements  had 
by  this  time  worn  away  the  soil,  so  that  the  rounded  top  of 
it  might  be  easily  seen.  Within  this  receptacle,  on  two 
stones  lying  crosswise  of  the  bottom,  lay  the  sacred  treasure. 
At  this  moment,  it  seems  the  thought  that  was  uppermost  in 
Joseph's  mind  was,  that  the  plates  would  bring  him  great 
material  gains;  for,  notwithstanding  he  had  been  told  by 
the  messenger  that  the  time  for  obtaining  them  was  not  yet 
come,  he  reached  forth  his  hands  in  eagerness  to  grasp  the 
inestimable  treasure.  "A  shock  was  produced  upon  his  sys- 
tem, by  an  invisible  power,  which  deprived  him,  in  a  meas- 
ure, of  his  natural  strength.  He  desisted  for  an  instant  and 
then  made  another  attempt,  but  was  more  sensibly  shocked 
than  before."  A  third  trial  was  equally  ineffectual,  and  he 
exclaimed:     "Why  cannot  I  obtain  this  book?" 

"Because,"  said  a  voice  close  to  him,  which  he  recognized 
as  Moroni's,  "because  you  have  not  kept  the  commandments 
of  the  Lord." 

The  heavenly  keeper  of  the  record  then  explained  how 
utterly  impossible  it  would  be  for  Joseph  to  obtain  the  plates 
except  only  by  a  strict  adherence  to  the  commandments  of 
God  respecting  them.  Joseph  prayed  in  his  inmost  soul  for 
the  Lord  to  overlook  his  weakness  and  to  give  him  strength, 
whereupon  he  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  "The  heav- 
ens were  opened  to  him  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone 
round  about  and  rested  upon  him."  "Look !"  said  the  angel ; 
and  he  beheld  the  prince  of  darkness,  surrounded  by  his  evil 
train,  writhing  in  the  torments  of  hell.    "All  this  is  shown," 


46  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

explained  Moroni,  "the  good  and  the  evil,  the  holy  and  the 
impure,  the  glory  of  God  and  the  power  of  darkness,  that 
you  may  know  hereafter  the  two  powers  and  never  be  influ- 
enced and  overcome  by  the  wicked  one."  The  angel  on  this 
occasion  repeated  that  wonderful  prediction  the  fulfillment 
of  which  has  been  so  literal :  "Your  name  shall  be  known 
among  the  nations,  for  the  work  which  the  Lord  will  per- 
form by  your  hands  shall  cause  the  righteous  to  rejoice  and 
the  wicked  to  rage;  with  one  it  shall  be  had  in  honor,  and 
the  other  in  reproach ;  yet  with  these  it  shall  be  a  terror  be- 
cause of  the  great  and  marvelous  work  which  shall  follow 
the  coming  forth  of  this  fulness  of  the  gospel."  Joseph  was 
informed  that  he  must  visit  the  hill  annually  on  the  twenty- 
second  of  September,  at  which  time  he  might  view  the  plates 
and  receive  instructions  from  the  Lord. 

This  circumstance  of  Joseph's  visit  to  the  hill  is  one  of 
the  most  luminous  recorded  in  history  of  the  way  in  which 
God  deals  with  the  children  of  men.  In  the  light  reflected  by 
these  details,  we  can  understand  why  it  is  that  Joseph  Smith 
was  reared  under  conditions  of  toil  and  privation,  why  he 
was  chosen  at  such  an  early  age,  and,  most  of  all,  why  he 
was  required  to  wait  before  he  was  permitted  to  take  the 
plates  of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  Had  he  been  brought  up 
under  circumstances  of  luxury  and  ease,  he  would  doubtless 
have  been  less  pliable  in  the  Lord's  hands,  as  indeed  he  might 
have  been  had  he  been  much  older  when  his  education  under 
the  direction  of  the  angel  commenced.  And  we  may  feel 
sure  that  God  was  subjecting  the  young  man  to  a  course  of 
training  that  was  calculated  to  fit  him  for  the  important  du- 
ties of  his  calling.  He  was  becoming  familiar  with  tempta- 
tion by  the  very  side  of  the  angel,  and  his  character  was  daily 
receiving  divine  strength,  so  that  when  the  time  arrived  for 
him  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  taking  charge  of  the 


THE  OTHER   SHEEP  47 

plates,  he  would  no  longer  entertain  any  worldly  thoughts 
concerning  them.  Surely,  no  education  of  mortal  man  was 
more  effective  than  this  for  its  purpose. 

Another  Interval. 

There  is  not  much  recorded  of  Joseph's  life  between  the  year 
1823  and  the  year  1827,  when  the  plates  were  delivered  to 
him.  The  circumstances  of  his  father's  family  made  it  neces- 
sary for  him  to  labor  with  his  hands  for  their  maintenance 
and  his.  The  marvelous  revelations  which  he  had  received, 
and  the  promises  concerning  his  future,  did  not  puff  up  his 
mind,  making  him  feel  that  he  was  above  the  rest  of  the  fam- 
ily or  above  doing  manual  labor.  These  superior  blessings 
only  made  him  the  more  humble  and  willing  to  do  his  share 
of  the  work.  At  this  time  his  services  were  needed  the  more, 
for  in  November,  1824,  his  eldest  brother,  Alvin,  died.  Con- 
cerning Alvin,  it  may  be  remarked,  in  passing,  that  he  be- 
lieved firmly  in  the  divine  calling  of  Joseph  and  that,  accord- 
ing to  his  mother's  account,  he  was  more  anxious  concerning 
the  forthcoming  Record  than  any  other  member  of  the  family 
except,  of  course,  the  Prophet.  He  was  a  young  man  of  sin- 
gular goodness  of  disposition,  we  are  told,  and  when  he  died 
there  was  general  sorrow  in  the  neighborhood. 

In  October,  1825,  Joseph  hired  with  a  Mr.  Josiah  Stoal, 
who  lived  in  an  adjacent  county,  but  who  was  just  then  con- 
siderably affected  over  some  old  Spanish  silver  mines  in  Har- 
mony, Pennsylvania,  which  were  being  reworked.  So  he 
took  all  his  hired  help,  including  Joseph,  to  Harmony  and  in- 
stituted a  fruitless  search  for  silver  in  that  part  of  the  State. 
At  the  end  of  about  a  month  devoted  to  his  chasing  of  a 
phantom,  Joseph  induced  the  old  gentleman  to  give  up  the 
task  and  engage  in  more  profitable  labor.  This  connection 
with  Mr.  Stoal  has  given  rise  to  the  common  story  of  his 
having  been  a  "money-digger,"   and  his   enemies   and  the 


48  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

enemies  of  the  Church  he  established  have  endeavored  to 
throw  into  this  term  all  the  reproach  of  a  really  bad  epi- 
thet, as  if  his  having  been  so  employed  would  be  inconsist- 
ent with  his  claims  of  prophet. 

During  his  stay  at  Harmony,  Joseph  boarded  with  a  Mr. 
Isaac  Hale.  It  was  at  this  time  and  under  these  conditions 
that  he  met,  and  formed  an  attachment  for,  Mr.  Hale's 
daughter  Emma,  who  reciprocated  his  affections.  Since 
Joseph,  wherever  he  went,  communicated  the  facts  concern- 
ing his  visions,  it  was  not  at  all  surprising  that  when,  about 
two  years  after  this,  these  two  young  people  desired  Mr. 
Hale's  consent  to  their  marriage,  the  good  man  objected  very 
decidedly  to  having  his  daughter  marry  a  visionary  man 
like  the  Prophet.  However,  in  January,  1827,  the  couple 
were  united  in  marriage  in  New  York  State.  Out  of  this 
has  arisen  the  silly  story  that  Joseph  abducted  his  wife. 
She  was  at  this  time  in  her  twenty-third  year,  and  hence  of 
sufficient  age  to  act  for  herself. 

According  to  the  angel's  instructions  the  Prophet  visited 
the  hill  Cumorah  on  September  22d  of  each  year,  viewed  on 
each  occasion  the  sacred  treasure,  and  each  time  met  his 
heavenly  teacher,  who  instructed  him  in  the  ways  of  the 
Lord.  His  mother  Lucy  has  recorded  the  eagerness  with 
which  the  whole  family,  especially  Joseph,  looked  forward 
to  the  time  when  the  plates  should  be  taken  from  their  long 
resting-place  and  given  into  the  hands  of  the  young  man ; 
for  many  a  time,  of  an  evening  after  the  day's  work,  Joseph 
during  these  years,  held  the  other  members  of  the  family 
spellbound  by  his  narration  of  the  wonderful  manifestations 
of  God's  goodness  to  him,  of  the  angelic  ministrations,  and 
of  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  America.  With  what  tremu- 
lous anxiety  must  Joseph  have  anticipated  this  event.  And 
yet,  with  its  coming  there  would  pass  upon  him  a  tremendous 
responsibility.     For   fourteen  centuries  had  Cumorah  pre- 


THE   OTHER    SHEEP  49 

served  within  her  bosom  the  sacred  treasure  hidden  from 
the  gaze  of  men.  Now  it  was  to  be  given  to  him.  He  was 
at  this  time  in  his  twenty-second  year — a  very  young  man 
to  receive  such  a  charge.  Nevertheless,  the  passing  of  these 
four  long  years  of  eager  waiting  had  furnished  him  the 
necessary  training;  he  was  now  perfectly  free  from  all  fur- 
ther temptation  so  far  as  the  money-value  of  the  plates  was 
concerned.  His  mind,  and  the  minds  of  the  rest  of  the  fam- 
ily likewise,  had  become  so  accustomed  to  thinking  about 
the  ancient  treasure  that  there  was  now  no  danger  of  his 
entertaining  any  other  than  proper  intentions  respecting  it. 
Should  thoughts  concerning  the  Record  now  be  suddenly 
dropped  from  his  mind,  there  would  succeed  a  terrible 
emptiness  in  his  life.  A  few  days  before  his  regular  visit  to 
the  hill,  he  was  informed  that  the  time  had  come  for  the 
delivery  of  the  plates  to  him. 

Joseph  Obtains  the  Plates. 

A  little  past  midnight  of  September  21st,  1827,  according  to 
Lucy  Smith's  History  of  the  Prophet,  Joseph  came  into  the 
room  where  his  mother  was  still  sitting  up  alone,  and  asked 
her  if  she  had  a  chest.  Instantly  discerning  his  purpose,  she 
told  him  that  she  had  not,  but  requested  him  to  have  one 
made  immediately  for  which  she  would  pay,  though  she  had 
no  money  in  the  house  at  the  time.  Joseph  then  went  out, 
and  was  shortly  afterwards  followed  by  his  wife  Emma  in 
hood  and  riding  habit.  In  this  dark  hour  of  the  night  did 
these  two  proceed,  quietly  and  alone,  to  the  ancient  treasure- 
house,  Joseph,  no  doubt,  going  to  the  place  of  deposit  by 
himself.  Once  more  he  lifted  the  cover  of  the  stone  box, 
and  with  trembling  eagerness,  hallowed  now  by  four  years 
of  instruction  from  the  lips  of  a  holy  angel,  took  the  plates 
from  their  long  resting-place.  As  he  did  so,  the  heavenly 
messenger  repeated  his  warning  that  wicked  men  would  do 


50  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

all  in  their  power  to  take  them  away  from  him.  "Now  you 
have  the  record  in  your  own  hands,"  he  said,  "and  you  are 
but  a  man ;  therefore  you  must  ever  be  on  your  guard,  lest 
wicked  men,  assisted  by  the  power  of  darkness,  overcome 
you;  for  they  will  lay  every  plan  that  they  can  devise  to 
deprive  you  of  it;  and  if  you  do  not  take  heed  continually, 
they  will  succeed.  While  it  was  under  my  care,  no  man 
had  power  to  take  it ;  but  now  I  give  it  unto  you.  Beware, 
therefore,  and  you  shall  have  power  to  retain  it  until  it  is 
translated." 


CHAPTER  III 


WHISPERING    FROM    THE   GROUND 

Difficulties  in  Preserving  the  Plates. 

Joseph  had  not  been  in  possession  of  the  plates  very  long  be- 
fore he  understood  why  Moroni  had  been  so  positive  and  ex- 
plicit in  his  instructions  concerning  the  care  of  them.  Every 
stratagem  that  curiosity  and  cunning,  inspired  by  the  adver- 
sary,-could  invent,  was  resorted  to  in  order  to  get  them  from 
him.  Hence  he  was  often  put  to  his  wit's  ends  to  preserve 
them.  Upon  receiving  them  from  the  angel  in  the  early 
morning  of  the  twenty-second,  when  he  and  Emma  went  to 
the  hill,  he  secreted  them  temporarily  in  the  woods.  Later 
he  returned  for  them ;  and  while  carrying  them  home  under 
his  cloak,  he  was  assaulted  three  times  by  unknown  men ;  but 
being  large  and  active,  he  successfully  parried  the  blows  of 
his  assailants  and  reached  the  house  in  safety  with  his 
precious  burden,  though  he  was  utterly  exhausted  by  the 
task  of  carrying  such  a  weight.  Subsequently  the  house  was 
beset  by  mobs  more  than  once.  His  enemies,  incredulous 
enough  when  it  came  to  the  question  of  Joseph's  visions,  and 
deriding  the  power  which,  it  was  rumored,  he  possessed  of 
looking  into  the  future,  were  nevertheless  not  ashamed  to 
employ  the  services  of  conjurors  and  diviners  in  order  to  as- 
certain the  place  where  the  record  was  deposited.  The  plates 
were  usually  kept  in  a  chest  made  especially  for  them;  but 
often  they  had  to  be  taken  out  and  hidden  elsewhere.    Once 


52  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS    OF    MORMONISM 

they  were  put  under  the  floor  of  an  old  work-shop  not  far 
from  the  house ;  on  another  occasion  they  were  secreted  in 
the  hearth,  some  bricks  having  been  removed  for  the  pur- 
pose. Moreover,  slander,  with  her  multitudinous  tongues, 
was  now  busier  than  ever  originating  and  spreading  every 
absurd  and  wicked  tale  that  was  in  the  least  likely  to  befoul 
the  names  of  the  Smith  family,  especially  Joseph's,  or  put 
them  in  a  ridiculous  light  before  the  public.  Every  circum- 
stance in  their  past  lives  was  distorted  and  colored  to  suit 
the  purpose  of  the  evil  minded. 

Constantly  harassed  thus  by  the  evil-disposed,  Joseph  was 
unable  to  obtain  the  necessary  quiet  and  safety  for  translat- 
ing the  record ;  and  having,  in  addition,  to  labor  for  his  daily 
maintenance,  he  could  not  find  time  and  means  to  perform 
his  divine  task.  He  thought,  therefore,  of  moving  from 
Manchester.  Harmony,  his  wife's  former  home,  suggested 
itself.  Moreover,  he  had  received  an  invitation  from  the 
Hale  family  to  stay  with  them.  But  his  straitened  cir- 
cumstances presented  an  apparently  insurmountable  barrier. 
At  this  juncture  a  respectable  and  well-to-do  farmer — Mar- 
tin Harris— offered  him  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars  to  assist 
him,  which  the  Prophet  gratefully  accepted.  Packing  his 
household  effects,  among  which  he  concealed  the  plates,  he 
and  his  wife  left  Manchester  for  Harmony,  a  journey  of 
more  than  one  hundred  miles.  On  his  way  he  was  twice 
overtaken  and  stopped  by  officers  of  the  law,  who,  thinking 
to  discover  the  plates,  searched  the  wagon  carefully,  but 
departed  much  chagrined  at  not  finding  anything  besides  the 
usual  articles. 

The  Harris-Anthon  Controversy. 

On  reaching  Harmony,  he  established  himself  at  Mr.  Hale's 
home,  where  he  had  leisure  during  the  next  month  or  so,  to 
examine  more  carefully  the  writings  on  the  plates,  and  to  do 


WHISPERING    FROM    THE    GROUND  53 

some  desultory  translating.  He  copied  a  few  lines  of  char- 
acters on  sheets  of  paper,  underneath  some  of  which  he 
wrote  the  translation  in  English.  Meantime,  he  prayed  for 
the  Lord  to  send  some  one  to  assist  him,  for  he  himself  was 
but  an  indifferent  scribe. 

In  February  of  the  year  1828,  Martin  Harris  visited  him 
at  Harmony.  Martin  had  been  deeply  impressed  by  his  for- 
mer conversation  with  Joseph,  and  therefore  desired  to  learn 
more  of  the  latter's  strange  mission.  Remaining  for  some 
time  at  the  Prophet's  home,  Harris  departed  for  New  York, 
carrying  with  Joseph's  permission,  the  transcriptions  of  the 
ancient  characters  which  the  Prophet  had  made.  These  he 
intended  submitting  to  learned  linguists  for  their  judgment 
as  to  the  genuineness  of  them,  so  as  to  satisfy  his  own  mind 
respecting  the  claims  of  the  new  Seer. 

These  copies  he  submitted  to  Charles  Anthon,  then  ad- 
junct-professor of  ancient  languages  in  Columbia  College. 
According  to  Harris's  report  to  the  Prophet,  the  professor, 
after  examining  the  characters,  pronounced  them  genuine, 
and  the  translation  of  such  of  them  as  had  been  submitted  as 
nearly  correct  as  the  learned  linguist  could  determine.  At 
Harris's  request,  Anthon  wrote  a  certificate  to  this  effect. 
Putting  the  letter  into  his  pocket,  Martin  was  on  the  point  of 
leaving,  when  the  professor  asked  where  the  young  man 
spoken  of  had  obtained  the  plates.  "An  angel  of  the  Lord 
revealed  them  to  him,"  was  the  reply.  Professor  Anthon 
thereupon  asked  to  see  the  certificate  again,  as  if  to  make 
some  changes.  When  he  received  it,  he  tore  it  up,  re- 
marking that  there  was  no  such  thing  nowadays  as  the 
ministering  of  angels,  but  added  incredulously  that  he 
would  translate  the  book  if  it  were  brought  to  him.  Mr. 
Harris  replied  that  part  of  it  was  sealed.  Then  the  scholar 
answered  sarcastically,  "I  cannot  read  a  sealed  book !"  Thus, 
as   the   Saints   have   always   contended,   were   fulfilled   the 


54  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS    OF    MORMONISM 

words  of  the  Prophet  Isaiah  uttered  twenty-six  hundred 
years  before  as  found  in  the  twenty-ninth  chapter  of  his 
writings:  "The  vision  of  all  is  become  unto  you  as  the 
words  of  a  book  that  is  sealed,  which  men  deliver  to  one  that 
is  learned,  saying,  Read  this,  pray  thee;  and  he  saith,  / 
cannot,  for  it  is  sealed."  Martin  then  showed  the  transcripts 
to  a  Dr.  Mitchell,  also  of  New  York,  who,  on  learning  what 
Professor  Anthon  had  said  concerning  them,  confirmed  the 
latter's  opinion. 

A  good  deal  of  controversy  has  grown  out  of  this  ap- 
parently trivial   circumstance,   and  non-"Mormon"   writers 
have  taken  great  pains  to  throw  discredit  on  Martin  Harris's 
statements.     It  is  doubtless  a  fact  that  when  Professor  An- 
thon learned  that  the  Latter-day  Saint  elders  were  quoting 
him  in  support  of  what  he  termed  a  hoax,  he  manifested, 
as  was  natural,  no  little  embarrassment,  and  availed  himself 
of  every  opportunity  to  put  himself  in  what  he  would  regard 
as  a  proper  light.    At  any  rate,  six  years  after  the  time  when 
Harris  called  on  him,  the  Professor,  in  a  letter  to  E.  D. 
Howe,  who,  in  collaboration  with  D.  P.  Hurlburt,  was  writ- 
ing a  book  against  "Mormonism,"  denied  ever  having  said  to 
Martin  Harris  that  the  characters  were  genuine,  or  given 
him  a  statement  to  that  effect.    His  exact  words  are— 'The 
whole  story  about  my  pronouncing  the  Mormon  inscription 
to  be  'reformed  Egyptian  hieroglyphics'  is  perfectly  false. 
Some  years  ago  a  plain,  apparently  simple-hearted  farmer 
called  on  me  with  a  note  from  Dr.  Mitchell,  of  our  city,  now 
dead,  requesting  me  to  decipher,  if  possible,  the  paper  which 
the  farmer  would  hand  me,  and  which  Dr.  M.  confessed  he 
had  been  unable  to  understand.    Upon  examining  the  paper 
in  question,  I  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  all  a 
trick— perhaps  a  hoax."  The  letter  goes  on  to  tell  what  Har- 
ris said  to  Prof.  Anthon,  concerning  the  "gold  book,  '  and 
then  says— "The  farmer  added  that  he  had  been  requested  to 


WHISPERING    FROM    THE   GROUND  55 

contribute  a  sum  of  money  toward  the  publication  of  the 
'golden  book,'  the  contents  of  which  would,  as  he  had  been 
assured,  produce  an  entire  change  in  the  world,  and  save  it 
from  ruin.  So  urgent  had  been  these  solicitations,  that  he 
intended  selling  his  farm,  and  handing  over  the  amount  to 
those  who  wished  to  publish  the  plates.  As  a  last  precau- 
tionary step,  however,  he  had  resolved  to  come  to  New  York 
and  obtain  the  opinion  of  the  learned  about  the  meaning  of 
the  paper  which  he  had  brought  with  him,  and  which  had 
been  given  him  as  part  of  the  contents  of  the  book,  although 
no  translation  had  been  furnished  at  the  time  by  the  young 
man  with  the  spectacles.  On  hearing  this  odd  story,  I 
changed  my  opinion  about  the  paper,  and,  instead  of  viewing* 
it  any  longer  as  a  hoax  upon  the  learned,  I  began  to  regard 
it  as  a  part  of  a  scheme  to  cheat  the  farmer  of  his  money,  and 
I  communicated  my  suspicions  to  him,  warning  him  to  be- 
ware of  the  rogues.  He  requested  an  opinion  from  me  in 
writing,  which,  of  course,  I  declined  giving,  and  then  he  took 
his  leave,  carrying  his  paper  with  him."  What  follows  in 
this  somewhat  extensive  letter  is  a  description  of  the  "paper" 
carried  by  the  "plain  farmer,"  and  an  account  of  a  second 
visit  by  Harris  with  a  book  which  he  wished  to  leave  with 
the  Professor,  but  which  the  Professor  would  not  receive. 
So  much  for  this  communication  to  Howe. 

Seven  years  later,  namely,  in  1841,  Professor  Anthon 
wrote  a  letter  on  the  same  subject  to  a  Rev.  Dr.  T.  W.  Coit, 
which  is  sometimes  referred  to  by  anti-" Mormon"  writers, 
but  rarely  quoted  by  them  in  full.  In  this  letter  he  makes 
the  following  statement:  "I  have  often  heard  that  the  Mor- 
mons claimed  me  for  an  auxiliary,  but  as  no  one  until  the 
present  time  has  even  requested  from  me  a  statement  in  writ- 
ing, I  have  not  deemed  it  worth  while  to  say  anything  pub- 
licly on  the  subject He  then  proceeded  to  give 

me  the  historv  of  the  whole  affair,  which  convinced  me  that 


56  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

he  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  some  sharper,  while  it  left 
me  in  great  astonishment  at  his  simplicity.  On  my  telling 
the  bearer  of  the  paper  that  an  attempt  had  been  made  to 
impose  on  him  and  defraud  him  of  his  property,  he  requested 
me  to  give  him  my  opinion  in  writing  about  the  paper  which 
he  had  shown  me.  /  did  so  without  hesitation,  partly  for  the 
man's  sake,  and  partly  to  let  the  individual  behind  the  cur- 
tain see  that  his  trick  was  discovered.  The  import  of  what  I 
wrote  was,  as  far  as  I  can  now  recollect,  that  the  marks  in 
the  paper  appeared  to  be  merely  an  imitation  of  various  al- 
phabetical characters,  and  had,  in  my  opinion,  no  meaning 
at  all  connected  with  them." 

It  remains  for  us  to  sum  up  the  statements  made  by 
Martin  Harris  to  Joseph  Smith  and  those,  also,  made  by  Pro- 
fessor Anthon  to  Howe  and  Coit.  It  is  clear  from  all  three 
(1)  that  Harris  called  on  both  Dr.  Mitchell  and  Profes- 
sor Anthon,  (2)  that  he  carried  with  him  a  paper  on  which 
were  inscribed  what  purported  to  be  ancient  characters, 
and  (3)  that  Harris's  purpose  in  submitting  this  paper  to 
learned  men  was  an  honest  desire  to  satisfy  his  own  mind 
concerning  the  correctness  of  what  was  written  thereon  so 
as  to  be  reasonably  sure  that  Joseph  Smith  had  the  plates. 
But  there  are  some  disagreements  not  only  between  what 
Harris  and  Anthon  say,  but  also  between  what  the  Profes- 
sor says  to  Howe  and  what  he  says  to  Coit.  Martin  Harris 
declares  that  Professor  Anthon  told  him  the  characters  were 
genuine  and  the  translation  submitted  was  correct  so  far  as 
the  Professor  was  able  to  tell.  Professor  Anthon  denies  this 
and  declares  that  what  he  did  say  was,  that  they  were  mere 
imitations  of  various  alphabetical  characters  and  had  no 
meaning.  Harris  further  affirms  that  Professor  Anthon 
gave  him  a  paper  to  this  effect ;  which  the  Professor  denies 
in  the  letter  to  Howe  and  admits  in  the  communication  to 


WHISPERING    FROM    THE    GROUND  57 

Coit,  though  what  he  claims  to  have  written  was  extremely 
unfavorable  to  the  "paper"  carried  by  Harris. 

What  about  these  conflicting  statements?  It  is  reason- 
ably certain  that  Professor  Anthon  made  some  favorable 
comments  upon  the  characters ;  else  Harris,  who  is  accounted 
even  by  non-4'Mormons"  a  man  of  "natural  shrewdness, '1 
would  not  have  sold  his  farm  to  pay  for  the  publication  of 
the  Book  of  Mormon ;  especially  when  we  consider  that  his 
wife  was  all  along  bitterly  opposed  to  the  new  revelation  on 
the  very  score  of  material  loss.  It  is  equally  clear,  too,  that 
in  the  certificate  which  the  Professor  gave  to  Martin  Harris, 
he  must  have  embodied  substantially  the  same  favorable 
opinion ;  otherwise  of  what  value  would  the  certificate  have 
been  to  Harris  ?  This  idea  receives  confirmation  from  the 
fact  that  Martin  was  besieged  by  his  friends  and  relatives 
for  evidence  that  he  had  not  gone  mad  in  following  what  ap- 
peared to  them  a  clear  case  of  delusion.  Had  he,  therefore, 
been  able  to  show  a  statement  signed  by  such  a  learned  man 
as  Professor  Anthon,  he  could  easily  have  justified  his  con- 
duct. No  other  statement  would  have  answered  the  purpose, 
and  he  would  not  have  asked  for  one  unless  the  oral  com- 
ments of  the  Professor  had  given  him  some  ground  for  be- 
lieving that  it  would  be  of  use  to  him.  Nor  is  there  any 
doubt  that  the  learned  linguist  told  Harris  what  he  declares 
in  both  letters  he  did  say,  namely,  that  an  effort  was  made  to 
defraud  the  countryman  of  his  property,  and  the  rest.  But 
it  is  very  probable  that  he  said  these  things  after  learning 
where  "the  young  man  with  the  spectacles"  had  obtained  the 
plates ;  and  this,  in  the  eyes  of  Harris,  would  have  been  real- 
ly favorable  to  Joseph  Smith's  claims  and  made  a  good  im- 
pression on  his  mind,  since,  when  Anthon  looked  at  the  char- 
acters without  knowing  where  they  came  from,  he  pro- 
nounced them  genuine,  whereas  he  had  an  opposite  opinion 


58  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS    OF    MORMONISM 

when  he  found  out  that  they  were  connected  with  angelic 
ministrations.  The  whole  affair,  after  all  concessions  are 
made  of  probable  though  unintentional  exaggeration  on  the 
part  of  Harris,  is  extremely  favorable  to  the  statement  made 
by  him  to  Joseph  and  published  to  the  world  shortly  after- 
wards. 

Returning  to  the  Prophet  at  Harmony,  Martin  related 
to  him  what  had  occurred  between  himself  and  the  learned 
men.  His  doubts  being  for  the  time  silenced,  he  left  Joseph 
to  go  to  Palmyra,  promising  that,  as  soon  as  he  could  ar- 
range his  business  affairs,  he  would  return  to  assist  in  the 
work  of  translation.  This  was  early  in  March.  About  a 
month  later  he  came  back,  and  the  work  of  translation  con- 
tinued uninterruptedly  for  two  months. 

The  Lost  Manuscript. 

But  as  Harris  listened  day  after  day  to  the  wonderful  words 
that  fell  from  the  lips  of  the  young  Seer,  his  persistent  skep- 
ticism returned,  and  he  sought  to  make  another  test  to  satis- 
fy it.  Now,  the  Prophet  had  a  small  stone,  which  he  called  a 
"seerstone,"  and  which  he  and  his  brother  Hyrum  had  found 
at  the  bottom  of  a  well.  This  stone  Joseph  sometimes  em- 
ployed, instead  of  the  urim  and  thummim,  to  translate  the 
language  on  the  plates.  Martin  Harris,  having  found  a  sim- 
ilar stone:  substituted  it  for  the  one  that  Joseph  used,  with- 
out, of  course,  saying  anything  to  him  about  it.  When  the 
Prophet  and  he  again  took  up  the  work  of  translation,  a  long 
silence  followed,  which  was  broken  by  the  exclamation  from 
the  Prophet:  "Martin,  what  is  the  matter?  All  is  dark!'' 
Harris,  with  shame,  confessed  to  what  he  had  done,  excusing 
himself  by  saying  that  he  did  it  either  to  prove  the  utterance, 
or  stop  the  mouths,  of  the  fools,  who  declared  that  Joseph 
had  learned  the  sentences  which  he  was  dictating. 

This  circumstance  passed,  and  Martin  was  forgiven,  when 


WHISPERING    FROM    THE    GROUND  59 

a  more  serious  one  occurred  to  stop  the  progress  of  the  work 
for  a  time. 

It  was  now  approaching  the  middle  of  June.  Steadily 
and  satisfactorily  the  work  had  progressed.  Joseph  had  dic- 
tated, and  Martin  had  written,  one  hundred  and  sixteen 
pages  of  foolscap.  One  day  the  latter  requested  the  Proph- 
et's permission  to  show  the  manuscript  to  his  relatives,  in  or- 
der, doubtless,  to  convince  them  that  he  was  not  laboring 
under  a  delusion,  but  engaged  in  the  work  of  God.  Martin's 
wife,  it  appears,  was  at  the  bottom  of  this;  for  being  of  a 
worldly  turn  of  mind,  she  was  strongly  opposed  to  her  hus- 
band's devoting  his  time  and  money  to  a  labor  that  brought 
no  material  gain.  The  Prophet  inquired  of  the  Lord,  with 
the  result  that  permission  was  not  granted.  But  Martin  was 
not  satisfied  with  the  answer;  he  requested  Joseph  to  ask 
again.  The  Prophet  did  this,  and  with  the  same  result. 
Still  Martin  was  not  content ;  the  Prophet  must  ask  again.  A 
third  time,  therefore,  did  Joseph  importune  the  Lord.  This 
time  permission  was  given  on  the  condition  that  Harris 
would  show  them  only  to  his  wife,  his  brother,  his  father  and 
mother,  and  a  Mrs.  Cobb,  his  wife's  sister ;  five  persons  in  all. 
Joseph  bound  Martin  in  the  most  solemn  manner  not  to  show 
the  writings  to  any  one  else.  So  Martin  took  the  manuscript 
and  went  to  his  home  in  Palmyra.  Meantime,  Joseph,  avail- 
ing himself  of  the  opportunity  afforded  by  Harris's  absence, 
of  transacting  some  private  business,  went  on  a  visit  to  his 
father's  family  at  Manchester.  But  Martin,  regardless  of 
his  covenant  with  Joseph  and  the  Lord,  did  show  the  writ- 
ings to  others,  who  succeeded  in  surreptitiously  making  way 
with  them ;  and  neither  he  nor  Joseph  ever  saw  them  again. 

For  his  disobedience  in  this  affair,  Martin  Harris  was 
never  afterwards  permitted  to  write  for  the  Prophet,  though 
he  was  utterly  dejected  over  the  loss  of  the  manuscripts  and 
his  own  unfortunate  violation  of  a  sacred  oath.    But  the  bur- 


<30  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS    OF    MORMONISM 

den  of  punishment  fell  on  Joseph.  For  having  needlessly 
importuned  the  Lord,  he  was  deprived  of  the  plates  and  the 
urim  and  thummim.  He  felt  most  keenly  his  condition.  But 
as  he  sincerely  repented,  both  were  subsequently  restored  to 
him.  Meanwhile,  he  had  learned  a  valuable  lesson,  which  he 
never  forgot.  "Although  a  man  may  have  many  revela- 
tions," the  Lord  declared  to  him  under  these  depressing  cir- 
cumstances, "and  have  power  to  do  many  mighty  works ;  yet 
if  he  boasts  in  his  own  strength,  and  sets  at  naught  the  coun- 
sels of  God  and  follows  after  the  dictates  of  his  own  will  and 
carnal  desires,  he  must  fall  and  incur  the  vengeance  of  a  just 
God  upon  him."  He  instructed  Joseph  not  to  attempt  a  re- 
translation  of  that  part  the  copy  of  which  had  been  lost.  It 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  wicked  men,  into  whose  hearts 
Satan  had  put  a  purpose  to  alter  the  language  of  the  manu- 
script. If,  therefore,  Joseph  should  translate  again  this  part 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  these  men  would  show  both  copies 
to  the  world,  this  second  and  the  original  in  a  changed  form, 
and  declare  that  the  Prophet  could  not  trans-late  twice  alike ; 
and  thus  they  thought  to  frustrate  the  work  of  God. 

What  was  Joseph  to  do,  then  ?  The  Lord  had  made  pro- 
vision for  this  very  thing.  There  were  some  "small  plates" 
among  those  which  Joseph  had  received  from  the  angel; 
whidi  covered  the  same  period  of  Nephite  history  as  the  part 
that  had  been  translated,  but  which  contained  more  of  re- 
ligious history  than  the  other.  Readers  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon will  recall  the  words  of  Nephi  and  also  those  of  Mor- 
mon when  the  former  made  these  "small  plates"  and  the  lat- 
ter bound  them  with  the  abridgment  which  he  had  made  for 
"a  wise  purpose,"  though  neither  knew  what  that  wise  pur- 
pose was.  These  the  Prophet  was  instructed  to  translate 
and  put  at  the  beginning  in  the  place  that  would  have  been 
occupied  by  the  part  which  had  been  lost.  This  was  the 
record  of  Nephi  and  his  spiritual  successors  down  to  King 


WHISPERING    FROM    THE   GROUND  61 

Benjamin's  reign,  covering  in  our  present  Book  of  Mormon 
the  first  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  pages.  It  may  be  re- 
marked here,  in  passing,  that  this  circumstance  throws  con- 
siderable light  on  the  vexed  question  of  human  agency  and 
the  extent  to  which  it  is  exercised  in  the  performance  of  du- 
ties imposed  directly  upon  man  by  Deity. 

From  this  time  till  the  following  April,  a  period  of  nearly 
ten  months,  the  work  of  translation  was  all  but  stayed,  and 
when  it  was  taken  up  again  it  had  to  be  done  from  the  be- 
ginning. Joseph  was  without  a  scribe,  now  that  Martin 
Harris  was  prohibited  from  assisting  him.  Moreover,  his 
personal  affairs  required  his  attention.  Being  at  this  time 
without  means  of  support,  he  worked  on  a  small  farm,, 
which  he  had  purchased  of  his  father-in-law.  Meantime, 
Joseph  prayed  continually  for  the  Lord  to  open  the  way  for 
the  further  translation  of  the  record. 

Oliver  Cowdery  as  Amanuensis. 

On  April  5th,  1829,  Joseph  received  a  visit  from  Oliver  Cow- 
dery, a  young  man  whom  he  had  not  met  before  this.  Cow- 
dery had  been  teaching  a  school  at  Manchester  during  the 
preceding  winter,  and  having  boarded  with  the  Smith  family 
for  a  time,  according  to  the  custom  of  country  school-teach- 
ers in  those  days,  he  had  naturally  learned  much  from  them 
about  the  revelations  of  the  Lord  to  Joseph.  Morover,  he 
had  met  David  Whitmer,  a  young  man  of  about  his  own  age 
living  at  Fayette,  a  few  miles  distant,  with  whom  he  had  fre- 
quent conversations  in  relation  to  the  golden  plates  which, 
according  to  the  general  rumor,  were  in  the  possession  of 
Joseph  Smith.  All  this  had  made  a  profound  impression 
upon  the  mind  of  young  Oliver,  and  he  determined  to  visit 
the  Prophet  at  Harmony  as  soon  as  his  school  was  out  in 
the  spring,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  more  certaintly 
the  truth  of  what  he  had  heard.     On  his  way  he  called  on 


62  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS    OF    MORMONISM 

David  Whitmer,  to  whom  he  promised  to  write  the  result  of 
his  fundings  when  he  reached  Harmony.  This  is  how  Oliver 
Cowdery  came  to  visit  the  Prophet  at  this  time. 

That  the  conversation  which  occurred  between  these  two 
young  men  was  satisfactory  to  Oliver  is  evident  from  his 
remaining  with  the  Prophet  to  write  for  him.  Subsequent- 
ly, the  Prophet  received  a  revelation  in  which  occurs  this  re- 
markable passage  addressed  to  Cowdery:  "If  you  desire  a 
further  witness,  cast  your  mind  upon  the  night  when  you 
cried  unto  me  in  your  heart,  that  you  might  know  concern- 
ing the  truth  of  these  things.  Did  I  not  speak  peace  to  your 
mind  concerning  the  matter  ?  What  greater  witness  can  you 
have  than  from  God  ?  And  now,  behold,  you  have  received  a 
witness,  for  if  I  have  told  you  things  which  no  man  knoweth, 
have  you  not  received  a  witness?"  Oliver  Cowdery  there- 
upon informed  Joseph  that  when  he  had  been  told  by  the 
Smith  family  concerning  the  Nephite  plates,  he  inquired  of 
the  Lord  one  night  after  retiring,  to  know  whether  what  he 
had  been  told  was  true,  and  that  God  had  manifested  to  him 
that  it  was  true.  But  he  had  kept  the  matter  a  secret  until 
now.  It  must  have  been  shortly  after  this  circumstance  that 
he  wrote  a  letter  to  his  friend  David  in  which  he  declared 
that  he  was  certain  of  Joseph's  divine  mission  and  of  his 
having  the  plates. 

Once  more,  therefore,  the  work  of  translation  pro- 
gressed rapidly  and  uninterruptedly.  We  have  few  details 
during  these  months,  but  those  we  have  are  important  as 
manifesting  the  growth  of  interest  in  the  new  revelation. 
A  number  of  important  revelations  were  received,  some  of 
which  we  shall  notice  in  detail  later  on.  Moreover,  the 
young  men  were  visited  by  friends  and  relatives,  who  eager- 
ly inquired  what  the  Lord  would  have  them  to  do  to  assist  in 
the  "marvelous  work  and  a  wonder."  They  were  very  much 
aided  in  a  material  way  by  Joseph's  old  friend  and  former 


WHISPERING  FROM  THE  GROUND  63 

employer,  Joseph  Knight,  who  had  been  interested  in  the 
mission  of  the  Prophet,  ever  since  he  first  knew  of  it,  and 
whose  horse  and  buggy,  according  to  Lucy  Smith's  narra- 
tive, the  Prophet  had  used  on  the  occasion  when  he  brought 
the  plates  home  from  Cumorah  for  the  first  time.  During 
the  months  that  the  translation  was  in  progress  at  Harmony, 
Mr.  Knight  came  several  times  from  his  home  in  Colesville, 
New  York,  with  provisions  for  the  inspired  workers.  If  this 
or  something  equivalent  had  not  been  done,  it  would  have 
been  necessary  for  the  Prophet  and  his  scribe  to  lay  aside 
their  sacred  task  till  they  could  obtain  means  by  their  own 
labor,  to  support  themselves  during  the  time  when  they 
might  be  engaged  in  translating.  Oliver  Cowdery  has  left 
on  record  a  description  of  his  feelings  as  he  was  perform- 
ing his  part  of  this  divine  work.  "These  were  days,"  he  de- 
clares, "never  to  be  forgotten — to  sit  under  the  sound  of  a 
voice  dictated  by  the  inspiration  of  heaven,  awakened  the  ut- 
most gratitude  of  this  bosom.  Day  after  day  I  continued, 
uninterrupted,  to  write  from  his  mouth,  as  he  translated  with 
the  urim  and  thummim."  It  appears  that  during  this  time 
the  young  men  had  reasoned  with  acquaintances  at  Harmony 
upon  the  things  that  were  absorbing  their  own  attention ;  but 
these  people  were  skeptical  and  suspicious.  It  was  not  long, 
therefore,  till  there  was  considerable  bitterness  of  feeling 
towards  them  in  that  neighborhood,  which  in  time  threat- 
ened the  security  of  the  Prophet  and  his  companion.  Mobs 
endangered  their  bodily  safety,  and  they  were  saved  from 
personal  violence  only  by  the  interference  of  Mr.  Hale,  Jos- 
eph's father-in-law ;  but  even  this  good-will  on  the  part  of 
Mr.  Hale  did  not  continue  long.  So  the  young  men  thought 
of  leaving  Harmony. 

Now,  Oliver  Cowdery,  in  fulfillment  of  his  promise  to 
David  Whitmer,  had  kept  the  latter  informed  of  his  labors 
with  the  Prophet.    As  already  stated,  he  wrote  to  David  soon 


64  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISN 

after  his  arrival  at  Harmony  telling  him  that  he  was  con- 
vinced of  Joseph's  divine  calling.  Later,  he  inclosed  a  few 
sentences  of  the  translations,  so  that  his  friend  might  see  what 
was  being  done.  In  these  letters  Oliver  poured  forth  his  full 
convictions  of  the  truth  so  rapturously  as  to  make  a  strong 
impression  on  his  friend.  Some  of  these  communications 
David  read  to  the  rest  of  the  family,  and  the  effect  was  the 
same  on  them.  When,  therefore,  it  became  necessary  for 
Joseph  and  Oliver  to  leave  Harmony  in  order  to  have  peace 
for  their  work  of  translation,  the  Prophet  directed  Oliver  to 
communicate  to  the  Whitmers  his  desire  to  remove  to  their 
home  at  Fayette.  David  says  that  this  request  came  as  a 
command  from  the  Lord.  The  result  was,  that  arrange- 
ments were  entered  into  according  to  which  the  Prophet,  his 
wife,  and  Oliver  were  to  remain  at  the  Whitmer  home  until 
the  work  was  finished  and  that  Joseph  was  to  have  the  as- 
sistance of  one  of  the  boys  as  amanuensis.  In  the  beginning 
of  June  the  Prophet  removed  to  Fayette,  after  having  lived 
at  Harmony  for  about  fifteen  months,  only  about  two  of 
which  Oliver  Cowdery  had  been  his  scribe. 

Some  very  interesting  details  are  related  concerning  this 
removal.  David  Whitmer  informs  us  that  it  was  in  the  busi- 
est season  of  the  year  when  there  was  so  much  to  do  on  the 
farm  that  word  came  for  him  to  take  Joseph  and  Oliver  from 
Harmony  to  Fayette,  and  he  thought  the  trip  would  have  to 
be  delayed  till  the  work  was  pretty  well  over.  Nevertheless, 
he,  as  well  as  all  the  other  members  of  the  family,  was  anx- 
ious to  hasten  rather  than  to  put  it  off.  One  morning  he  got 
up  to  do  his  work  as  usual  when,  to  his  intense  surprise,  he 
discovered  that  during  the  night  about  six  acres  of  land  had 
been  plowed.  On  another  occasion  he  found  that  at  the  close 
of  a  day's  harrowing  he  had  accomplished  more  in  a 
few  hours  than  he  had  usually  been  able  to  do  in  two  or 
three  days.     Nor  was  this  all.     The  day  following  this  see- 


WHISPERING   FROM    THE  GROUND  65 

ond  circumstance  he  discovered,  on  going  out  to  the  field  to 
spread  some  plaster,  that  the  work  had  already  been  done. 
He  inquired  of  his  sister,  who  lived  near  the  field,  whether 
she  had  noticed  anyone  working  there  the  day  before.  She 
replied  that  she  had  seen  three  men  at  work,  but  that,  sup- 
posing he  had  employed  them,  she  had  said  nothing  about  it, 
though  she  had  observed  that  they  labored  with  unusual  skill 
and  rapidity.  These  things,  of  course,  hastened  the  journey, 
and  furnished  the  Whitmer  family  evidence  that  something 
of  extraordinary  importance  attached  to  their  efforts  to  aid 
the  Prophet  Joseph.  So  David  took  his  team  and  wagon  and 
made  the  journey. 

Upon  nearing  the  village  of  Harmony,  David  was  met  by 
Joseph  and  Oliver.  "Joseph  told  me,"  said  Oliver  afterwards 
to  David,  "when  you  started  from  home,  where  you  stopped 
the  first  night,  how  you  read  the  sign  at  the  tavern,  where 
you  stopped  the  second  night ;  that  you  would  be  here  today 
before  dinner;  and  this  is  why  we  came  out  to  meet  yOu." 
All  of  which,  David  declared,  was  exactly  as  the  Prophet  had 
said.  Moreover,  he  tells  us  that  while  he,  the  Prophet,  and 
Cowdery  were  on  their  way  to  Fayette  a  pleasant-looking 
old  gentleman  suddenly  appeared  by  the  side  of  the  wagon. 
He  had  a  kind  of  knapsack  on  his  back,  with  something  in  it 
shaped  like  a  book.  Saluting  them,  he  remarked  that  it  was 
very  warm,  at  the  same  time  wiping  the  perspiration  from 
his  forehead.  When  asked  if  he  would  ride  with  them,  he 
replied  "No ;  I  am  going  to  Cumorah."  David  had  never  be- 
fore heard  this  name.  Suddenly  the  stranger  disappeared. 
He  is  described  as  being  about  five  feet  eight  or  nine  inches 
tall,  rather  heavy,  having  a  large  face,  white  hair  and  beard, 
and  dressed  in  a  suit  of  brown  woolen  clothes.  It  was  the 
messenger  with  the  plates,  which  he  had  taken  from  Joseph 
just  prior  to  his  starting  for  New  York. 


66  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

The  Book  of  Mormon  Published. 

At  Fayette  the  plates  were  given  back  to  the  Prophet  by 
Moroni,  and  the  translation  was  prosecuted  with  great  rap- 
idity. The  young  men  and  Emma  Smith  were  treated  with 
the  utmost  kindness,  not  only  by  the  Whitmer  family,  but 
also  by  the  neighbors.  Here  they  found  many  who,  instead 
of  opposing  them,  were  eager  to  listen  to  their  testimonies  of 
the  truth.  When,  in  writing,  Oliver's  hand  became  weary, 
David  ,or  John,  or  Peter  Whitmer,  Jr.,  or  Emma  would  take 
the  pen.  Thus  the  translation  went  on  till  the  work  was 
ready  for  the  press. 

One  circumstance  that  happened  while  Joseph  remained 
at  the  Whitmer  home  ought  not  to  be  passed  unnoticed. 
David  Whitmer's  mother  was  going  to  milk  the  cows,  when 
she  was  met  out  near  the  yard  by  the  person  who  had  ap- 
peared to  David  and  the  others  while  on  their  way  from  Har- 
mony to  Fayette.  "You  have  been  very  faithful  and  diligent 
in  your  labors,"  he  said  to  her,  "but  you  are  tired  because  of 
the  increase  of  your  toil;  it  is  proper,  therefore,  that  you 
should  receive  a  witness  that  your  faith  may  be  strength- 
ened." Thereupon  he  showed  her  the  plates.  "My  father 
and  mother,"  says  David,  who  relates  the  incident,  "had  a 
large  family  of  their  own ;  the  addition  to  it,  therefore,  of 
Joseph,  his  wife  Emma,  and  Oliver,  very  greatly  increased 
the  toil  and  anxiety  of  my  mother.  And  although  she  had 
never  complained,  she  had  sometimes  felt  that  her  labor  was 
too  much,  or  at  least  she  was  perhaps  beginning  to  feel  so. 
This  circumstance,  however,  completely  removed  such  feel- 
ings, and  nerved  her  up  for  her  increased  responsibilities." 

The  completion  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  the  signal  for 
rejoicing  among  those  who  had  been  interested  in  the  transla- 
tion. It  had  been  a  long  and  toilsome  labor,  though  not  with- 
out blessings  which  abundantly  compensated  for  the  difficulty 
of  the  task.    And  now  that  it  was  finished,  a  heavy  load  was 


WHISPERING    FROM    THE    GROUND  67 

taken  from  the  shoulders  of  the  Prophet  and  his  companion. 
Then,  too,  Joseph  must  have  sustained  all  along  a  serious 
weight  of  anxiety  respecting  the  preservation  of  the  plates 
from  unhallowed  hands ;  for  the  angel  had  told  him  that 
only  on  the  condition  that  he  would  do  all  in  his  power  to 
preserve  them,  should  the  wisdom  of  the  Lord  be  called  to 
his  aid.  But  now  his  sacred  task  was  ended,  and  he  could 
return  the  record  to  its  heavenly  keeper.  Joseph's  father  and 
mother  came  to  Fayette,  bringing  Martin  Harris ;  and  these 
three,  with  the  Whitmers  and  Emma  Smith,  partook  of  the 
joy  which  came  to  Joseph  and  Oliver  on  their  completion 
of  the  work  assigned  them  by  their  Master. 

The  translation  of  the  ancient  record  finished,  the  next 
thing  to  be  done  was  to  obtain  a  publisher.  This  was  no 
small  task,  considering  the  inexperience  of  Joseph  and  the 
state  of  public  feeling  in  the  neighborhood  concerning  the 
probable  contents  of  the  proposed  book.  Joseph  and  Oliver 
finally  made  arrangements  with  a  Mr.  Egbert  Grandin,  of 
Palmyra,  to  print  an  edition  of  five  thousand  copies  for  the 
sum  of  three  thousand  dollars.  As  soon  as  the  translation 
was  entirely  finished,  which  was  probably  in  June  or  July, 
1829,  Joseph  went  on  a  visit  to  Harmony.  But  before  his  de- 
parture it  was  decided  ( 1 )  that  Oliver  should  transcribe  the 
entire  manuscript,  (2)  that  only  the  copy  thus  made  should 
be  taken  to  the  printer's,  (3)  that  the  person  taking  the  copy 
to  the  printer's  (usually  it  was  Hyrum)  should  have  a  guard 
while  carrying  it,  and  (4)  that  there  should  be  a  guard  about 
the  printing  house,  night  and  day. 

Yet  with  all  these  precautions  for  the  safety  of  the  man- 
uscript, the  Book  of  Mormon,  or  parts  of  it,  came  very  near- 
ly being  published  surreptitiously,  in  mutilated  form,  by  an 
unscrupulous  enemy  of  the  work.  A  man  by  the  name  of 
Cole,  evidently  with  the  knowledge  if  not  the  consent  of 
Grandin,  attempted  to  publish  the  book  serially  in  his  paper, 


68  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMON  ISM 

called  The  Dogberry,  but,  of  course,  with  a  great  many 
changes,  and  was  made  to  desist  from  his  unlawful  and 
wicked  purpose  only  by  the  threats  of  Joseph  in  person  to 
claim,  by  legal  process,  the  protection  of  the  copyright  law. 
Nor  was  this  all.  Later  on,  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  Pal- 
myra and  the  neighborhood  held  a  meeting  at  which  they  all 
bound  themselves  not  to  purchase  a  copy  of  the  forthcoming 
book.  The  printer,  frightened  into  the  belief  that  the  book 
would  not  be  sold  and  that  he  would  therefore  get  nothing 
for  his  work  on  it,  suspended  the  printing  until  Joseph  Smith 
and  Martin  Harris  gave  him  renewed  assurance  that  the 
amount  would  be  paid  whether  or  not  a  single  copy  of  the 
book  were  sold.  Under  these  conditions  was  the  Book  of 
Mormon  published  to  the  world. 

The  Nephite  Record  and  the  Manner  of  Translation. 
Thus  far  in  this  and  the  preceding  chapter  we  have  been 
concerned  only  with  the  coming  forth  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon and  the  events  connected  with  the  translation  of  this  an- 
cient record  into  the  English  language.  Before  leaving  this 
part  of  our  narrative,  however,  it  will  be  interesting  to  know 
something  about  the  plates  themselves — their  appearance,  the 
language  in  which  they  were  written,  and  the  like — and  also 
to  ascertain  as  nearly  as  may  be  how  this  translation  was  ac- 
complished. 

The  plates  from  which  the  Book  of  Mormon  comes  were 
six  inches  in  width,  by  eight  inches  in  length.  The  leaves 
were  about  the  thickness  of  common  tin.  Each  was  filled 
on  both  sides  with  engravings,  the  characters  being  small 
and  exhibiting  considerable  skill  and  ancient  workman- 
ship. All  these  golden  sheets  were  bound  together  in  the 
form  of  a  book  of  about  six  inches  in  thickness,  by  three 
rings  running  through  the  edges.    Part  of  this  metallic  vol- 


WHISPERING    FROM    THE   GROUND  69 

ume  was  sealed.  The  unsealed  part  was  translated  by  the 
Prophet ;  but  the  sealed  part  is  not  to  be  translated  until  the 
proper  time  comes,  which  has  not  yet  been  generally  re- 
vealed. The  language  in  which  this  ancient  record  was  orig- 
inally written  was,  so  far  as  we  may  now  determine,  re- 
formed Egyptian,  each  line  running  like  Hebrew  from  right 
to  left,  instead  of  from  left  to  right  like  English.  Not  count- 
ing the  few  instances  when  the  book  was  given  to  the  angel 
for  safe-keeping  or  when  it  was  taken  from  Joseph  on  ac- 
count of  his  disobedience,  the  Prophet  had  these  sacred  plates 
in  his  possession  from  the  twenty-second  of  September,  182Z, 
till  some  time  in  the  early  summer  of  1829,  a  period  of  about 
twenty-one  or  two  months.  When  the  translation  was 
completed  he  gave  the  plates  back  to  the  angel  Moroni,  who 
has  them  in  his  keeping  to  this  day,  and  will  continue  to 
guard  them  until  the  time  when  the  sealed  part  together  with 
other  similar  Nephite  records,  shall  be  given  to  man. 

A  question  has  arisen  as  to  how  the  Book  of  Mormon 
was  translated,  which,  however,  we  should  not  consider  of 
sufficient  importance  to  notice  here  except  for  the  fact  that 
absurd  explanations  have  been  advanced,  which  have  been 
made  the  ground-work  of  apparently  unanswerable  objec- 
tions to  the  divine  origin  of  this  record.  Did  the  English 
translation  appear  with  the  Nephite  characters,  or  was  Jos- 
eph enabled,  by  inspiration,  to  read  the  language  of  the 
plates,  get  the  idea  intended,  and  then  express  that  idea  in 
such  language  as  he  had  at  his  command  ?  Was  the  Prophet, 
in  other  words,  a  mere  automaton,  or  was  he  compelled  to 
make  the  highest  intellectual  and  spiritual  effort  of  which 
he  was  capable?  No  doubt,  we  shall  not  be  able  at  this  date 
to  obtain  a  complete,  probably  not  a  satisfactory,  answer  to 
this  question;  but  we  shall  be  able  to  obtain  a  good  many 
established  facts  and  then  to  draw  our  inference  from  these. 
But  care  should  be  taken  not  to  confound  fact  with  inference. 


70  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

The  following  points  we  may  set  down  as  pretty  well 
established.  First,  the  language  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  as 
we  have  it  today  in  the  English,  abounds  in  inaccuracies  of 
expression.  Wrong  verb  forms  are  used,  for  instance,  refer- 
ence words  do  not  always  agree  with  their  antecedents,  there 
are  improprieties  of  diction,  and  the  style  is  somewhat  tautol- 
ogus.  Secondly,  Joseph  Smith  had  small  scholastic  educa- 
tion. "He  could  read  without  much  difficulty,  and  write  a 
very  imperfect  hand ;  and  had  a  very  limited  understanding 
of  the  elementary  rules  of  arithmetic.''  Thirdly,  Joseph 
used  two  instruments  with  which  to  translate — the  "seer 
stone,"  and  the  urim  and  thummim.  Martin  Harris  speaks 
of  the  Prophet's  employing  the  "seer  stone,"  and  Oliver 
Cowdery  mentions  Joseph's  use  of  the  '"interpreters." 
Fourthly,  the  plates  were  before  the  Prophet  as  he  translated. 
Otherwise  there  is  no  significance  in  his  remaining  behind 
a  curtain  all  the  time,  a  fact  which  we  learn  directly  from 
David  Whitmer  and  indirectly  from  Martin  Harris.  Fifthly, 
it  required  an  intellectual  effort  to  translate.  This  fact  we 
find  recorded  in  no  less  important  a  document  than  a  reve- 
lation of  the  Lord  to  Oliver  Cowdery  through  the  Prophet 
Joseph.  Cowdery  had  desired  to  translate  but  had  apparent- 
ly entertained  wrong  notions  of  the  process  involved.  For 
the  Lord  said  to  him:  "Behold  you  have  not  understood; 
you  have  supposed  that  I  would  give  it  [the  gift  to  translate] 
unto  you,  when  you  took  no  thought,  save  it  was  to  ask  of 
me ;  but,  behold,  I  say  unto  you,  that  you  must  study  it  out 
in  your  mind."  Sixthly,  there  had  to  be  an  emotional  purity. 
This  fact  is  testified  to  by  David  Whitmer,  who  relates  a 
circumstance  that  happened  to  the  Prophet  while  he  was 
translating  at  the  Whitmer  home  in  Fayette.  "One  morn- 
ing," says  David,  "when  he  was  getting  ready  to  continue 
the  translation  something  went  wrong  about  the  house  and  he 
was  put  out  about   it.      Something  that   Emma,   his   wife, 


WHISPERING    FROM    THE    GROUND  71 

had  done.  Oliver  and  I  went  upstairs  and  Joseph  came 
up  soon  after  to  continue  the  translation,  but  he  could 
not  do  anything.  He  could  not  translate  a  single  syl- 
lable. He  went  down  stairs,  out  into  the  orchard,  and  made 
supplication  to  the  Lord;  was  gone  about  an  hour — came 
back  to  the  house,  asked  Emma's  forgiveness,  and  then 
came  upstairs  where  we  were  and  then  the  translation 
went  on  all  right.  He  could  do  nothing  save  he  was  hum- 
ble and  faithful." 

These  facts  will  furnish  a  sufficient  basis  from  which  to 
reason  somewhat  clearly  concerning  the  manner  of  transla- 
tion. If,  as  some  have  supposed,  the  English  words  ap- 
peared beneath  the  Nephite  characters,  Joseph  becomes  a 
mere  machine,  a  passive  instrument  of  interpreting  the  an- 
cient writings,  and  there  is  no  meaning  to  the  statement  of 
the  revelation  to  Oliver  Cowdery  or  to  the  circumstance 
mentioned  by  David  Whitmer ;  and  the  language  of  the  sa- 
cred record,  moreover,  is  thus  exposed  to  all  sorts  of  objec- 
tions, inasmuch  as  it  does  not  appear  why,  upon  this  hypoth- 
esis, the  Lord  should  not  have  given  the  record  in  correct 
English.  It  is  inconceivable  that  the  peculiarities  in 
the  present  language  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  should  be 
also  the  peculiarities  of  the  Nephite  language.  On  the 
whole,  such  an  explanation  as  this  resembles  the  "verbal  in- 
spiration" theory  maintained  by  some  Christian  sects  con- 
cerning the  Hebrew  Scriptures.  All  these  facts  seem  to 
point,  therefore,  only  to  one  conclusion — that  the  Prophet 
Joseph  obtained  the  idea  through  inspiration  by  means  of  the 
"seer  stone"  on  the  urim  and  thummim,  and  expressed  this 
in  such  language  as  he  had  at  his  command.  That  he  viewed 
the  characters  on  the  plates  through  one  of  these  two  instru- 
ments while  in  the  act  of  translating,  and  that  it  demanded 
a  strong  intellectual  and  spiritual  effort,  are  evident  from 
several  indisputable  facts.     The  plausibility  of  this  explana- 


72  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

tion  is  increased  by  the  circumstances  that  it  harmonizes  facts 
that  on  any  other  hypothesis  yet  advanced  are  irreconcilable. 
The  ingrammaticisms  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  are  thus  no 
longer  chargeable  to  inspiration,  but  rather  to  the  earthly  in- 
strument of  interpretation,  Joseph  Smith.  The  style  of  the 
book  is  just  what  we  might  expect  of  a  young  man  reared 
under  the  circumstances  that  surrounded  the  early  life  of  the 
Prophet.  It  is  only  in  view  of  this  explanation  that  we  can 
account  for  its  tautology,  its  oft-recurring  words  and 
phrases,  and  its  frequent  errors  in  grammar. 

Still  this  explanation  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Book 
of  Mormon  was  translated  is  at  best  only  an  inference,  a  the- 
ory, though  as  it  appears  to  me,  a  plausible  one.  Joseph 
Smith,  the  only  man  who  was  in  a  position  to  know  how  it 
was  done,  has  not  left  a  word  of  explanation  directly  on  this 
point.  But  we  may  be  certain  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  was 
divinely  inspired,  however  the  translation  itself  was  accom- 
plished. This,  after  all,  is  the  important  fact.  That  a  young 
man  without  even  an  adequate  command  of  his  own  language 
was  able  by  any  means  whatsover  to  understand  and  to  trans- 
late the  tongue  of  an  extinct  race,  a  tongue  which  the  wisest 
and  most  scholarly  among  men,  uninspired,  could  not  read ; 
that  a  boy  without  anything  more  than  the  merest  rudiments 
of  an  education  should  produce  a  book  detailing  the  minutest 
particulars  in  the  life  of  an  entire  nation  extending  over  a 
period  of  a  thousand  years,  and  that,  too,  without  a  single 
discrepancy  of  date  or  fact  perceptible  to  the  closest  scrutiny 
of  the  most  hypercritical,— these  things  reveal  sufficiently 
wherein  lies  the  inspiration  of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  It  is, 
then,  inspiration  of  thought,  not  of  language,  of  content,  not 
of  dress. 


CHAPTER  IV 


THE  AMERICAN   BIBLE 


By  the  Mouth  of  Ti&o  or  Three  Witnesses. 
While  the  translation  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  in  pro- 
gress, the  Prophet  learned  from  the  record  itself  that  when  it 
should  be  made  known  to  the  Gentiles  and  the  remnant  of 
the  House  of  Israel,  three  persons  should  view  the  plates  by 
the  "power  of  God."  This  statement  was  confirmed  by  a 
revelation  (section  5)  which  Joseph  received  in  March,  1829, 
and  which  he  ''applied  for  and  obtained  at  the  request  of 
Martin  Harris,  who  wished  to  be  one  of  the  witnesses." 
Subsequently  David  Whitmer  and  Oliver  Cowdery  earnestly 
solicited  the  privilege  of  becoming  the  other  two.  Upon  in- 
quiring of  the  Lord  respecting  the  matter,  the  Prophet  re- 
ceived a  revelation  (section  17)  in  which  these  three  men 
were  promised  that  if  they  exercised  faith  they  should  have  a 
view  of  the  plates,  and  also  of  the  breast-plate,  the  sword  of 
Laban,  the  urim  and  thummim,  and  the  miraculous  direc- 
tors. In  the  course  of  June  following,  this  promise  was  re- 
alized. 

When  the  translation  was  completed,  Joseph,  as  we  have 
seen,  sent  word  to  his  parents  that  the  work  had  at  last  been 
finished.  So  they  came  to  Fayette  with  Martin  Harris. 
There  were,  therefore,  at  the  Whitmer  home,  besides  the 
family,  four  of  the  Smiths,  Martin  Harris  and  Oliver  Cow- 
dery. One  morning,  when  all  of  these  persons  were  present, 
Joseph,  after  the  customary  morning  devotions  consisting  of 
singing,  reading  from  the  Scriptures,  and  prayer,  went  up  to 


74  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMON  ISM 

Martin  and  said  in  a  tone  and  manner  that  impressed  every 
one  present:  "Martin  Harris,  you  have  got  to  humble  your- 
self before  God  this  day,  that  you  may  obtain  a  forgiveness 
of  your  sins.  If  you  do,  it  is  the  will  of  God  that  you  shall 
look  upon  the  plates  in  company  with  Oliver  Cowdery  and 
David  Whitmer."  Shortly  afterwards,  according  to  Lucy 
Smith's  account,  Joseph,  Oliver,  David,  and  Martin  left  the 
house  and  did  not  return  till  three  or  four  in  the  afternoon. 
What  occurred  in  the  meantime,  we  learn  from  the 
narratives  of  the  Prophet  and  David  Whitmer.  The  four 
men  repaired  to  a  grove  not  far  from  the  Whitmer  house. 
Arrived  there,  they  all  knelt  down  upon  the  ground  and 
prayed,  each  in  turn,  beginning  with  the  Prophet,  that  the 
Lord  would  fulfill  this  promise  to  them  respecting  the  sacred 
plates.  Twice  they  prayed  thus,  but  without  receiving  an  an- 
swer. Thereupon  Martin,  rising,  suggested  that  it  might  be 
because  of  him  that  their  prayers  were  not  effective,  and  that 
he  withdraw  to  a  distance  to  pray  alone.  He  did  this,  and  the 
other  three  renewed  their  supplication.  They  had  not  been 
praying  long  when  they  beheld  a  heavenly  light  above  and 
around  them,  in  which  was  standing  an  angel  of  the  Lord. 
"It  was  not  like  the  light  of  the  sun,"  declares  David  Whit- 
mer, in  speaking  of  this  heavenly  manifestation,  "nor  like 
that  of  fire,  but  more  glorious  and  beautiful.  It  extended 
away  around  us,  I  cannot  tell  how  far,  but  in  the  midst  of  this 
light  there  appeared,  as  it  were,  a  table  with  many  records  or 
plates  upon  it,  besides  the  plates  of  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
also  the  sword  of  Laban,  the  directors  and  the  interpreters." 
He  also  says  that  they  "saw  the  brass  plates,  the  plates  of  the 
Book  of  Ether,  the  plates  containing  the  records  of  the  wick- 
edness and  secret  combinations  of  the  people  of  the  world 
down  to  the  time  of  their  being  engraved,  and  many  other 
plates."  The  angel  held  in  his  hands  the  record  which  the 
young  men  desired  to  view,   and   turned  over   the  golden 


THE  AMERICAN   BIBLE  75 

leaves  one  by  one  that  they  might  see  distinctly  the  engrav- 
ings thereon.  Addressing  David,  the  heavenly  messenger 
very  significantly  said,  "Blessed  is  the  Lord  and  he  that  keeps 
his  commandments."  Then  they  heard  a  voice  from  above 
them,  saying:  "These  plates  have  been  revealed  by  the 
power  of  God.  The  translation  of  them  which  you  have 
seen  is  correct,  and  I  command  you  to  bear  record  of  all  you 
now  see  and  hear."  And  the  vision  closed.  Joseph  then  left 
David  and  Oliver  to  look  for  Martin,  whom  he  soon  found  a 
short  distance  away  vainly  supplicating  the  Lord.  At  Har- 
ris's request,  the  Prophet  joined  him  in  prayer,  whereupon 
the  vision  was  repeated.  The  skeptical  Martin  was  overcome 
with  transports  of  joy,  and  he  cried  out  in  his  ecstasy,  "  'Tis 
enough  !    Mine  eyes  have  beheld !  mine  eyes  have  beheld !" 

Lucy  Smith's  narrative  says  that  Joseph,  on  coming  into 
the  house  after  this  heavenly  manifestation,  "exclaimed 
'Father,  mother,  you  do  not  know  how  happy  I  am.  The 
Lord  has  now  caused  the  plates  to  be  shown  to  three  more 
besides  myself.  They  have  seen  the  angel,  who  has  testified 
to  them,  and  they  will  have  to  bear  witness  to  the  truth  of 
what  I  have  said.  For  now  they  know  for  themselves,  that  I 
did  not  go  about  to  deceive  the  people.  I  feel  as  if  I  were  re- 
lieved of  a  burden  which  was  almost  too  heavy  for  me  to 
bear;  and  it  rejoices  my  soul  that  I  am  no  longer  to  be  en- 
tirely alone  in  the  world.'  Upon  this,  Martin  Harris  came  in. 
He  seemed  almost  overcome  with  joy,  and  testified  boldly  to 
what  he  had  both  seen  and  heard.  And  so  did  David  and 
Oliver,  adding  that  no  tongue  could  express  the  joy  of  their 
hearts,  and  the  greatness  of  the  things  which  they  had  both 
seen  and  heard !" 

Drawing  up  the  following  document,  they  signed  it  with 
their  own  hands  and  published  it  to  the  world  with  the  Book 
of  Mormon.  It  is  necessary,  however,  to  a  proper  under- 
standing of  one  phrase  in  it,  to  know  that  whereas  the  testi- 


76  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

mony  of  the  witnesses  is  now  published  on  the  fly-leaf  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  it  originally  appeared  at  the  close  of  the 
volume. 

"Be  it  known  unto  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues,  and 
people  unto  whom  this  work  shall  come,  that  we,  through  the 
grace  of  God  the  Father  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  have 
seen  the  plates  which  contain  this  record,  which  is  a  record 
of  the  people  of  Nephi,  and  also  of  the  Lamanites,  their 
brethren,  and  also  of  the  people  of  Jared,  who  came  from 
the  tower  of  which  hath  been  spoken ;  and  we  also  know  that 
they  have  been  translated  by  the  gift  and  power  of  God,  for 
his  voice  hath  declared  it  unto  us ;  wherefore  we  know  of  a 
surety  that  the  work  is  true.  And  we  also  testify  that  we 
have  seen  the  engravings  which  are  upon  the  plates ;  and  they 
have  been  shewn  unto  us  by  the  power  of  God  and  not  of 
man.  And  we  declare  with  words  of  soberness,  that  an  an- 
gel of  God  came  down  from  heaven,  and  he  brought  and  laid 
before  our  eyes,  that  we  beheld  and  saw  the  plates,  and  the 
engravings  thereon ;  and  we  know  that  it  is  by  the  grace  of 
God  the  Father,  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  beheld 
and  bear  record  that  these  things  are  true ;  and  it  is  marvel- 
lous in  our  eyes,  nevertheless  the  voice  of  the  Lord  com- 
manded us  that  we  should  bear  record ;  wherefore,  to  be 
obedient  unto  the  commandments  of  God,  we  bear  testimony 
of  these  things.  And  we  know  that  if  we  are  faithful  in 
Christ,  we  shall  rid  our  garments  of  the  blood  of  all  men,  and 
be  found  spotless  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ,  and 
shall  dwell  with  him  eternally  in  the  heavens.  And  the  hon- 
our be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost, 
which  is  one  God.     Amen. 

Oliver  Cowdery, 
David  Whitmer, 
Martin  Harris/' 


THE  AMERICAN   BIBLE  77 

The  Book  of  Mormon  declares  also  that  "a  few  others" 
besides  the  three  special  witnesses  should  see  the  plates. 
There  is  no  mention,  however,  of  "the  power  of  God"  in 
connection  with  the  statement,  as  there  is  with  the  announce- 
ment concerning  the  three ;  and  one  is  led  to  infer  that  there 
was  to  be  a  difference  between  the  two  sets  of  testimony. 
Not  long  after  the  plates,  were  shown  to  the  three  witnesses 
under  the  conditions  we  have  described,  they  were  also 
shown  to  eight  others.  The  Prophet,  with  four  of  the  Whit- 
mers  and  Hyrum  Page,  was  on  his  way  to  Manchester  to 
look  after  the  printing  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  when,  near 
the  Smith  residence,  he  was  joined  by  his  father  and  his 
brothers,  Hyrum  and  Samuel.  They  all  repaired  to  the  place 
where  the  Smiths  had  been  accustomed  to  pay  their  secret 
devotions  to  God ;  and  here  the  Prophet  showed  these  eight 
men  the  plates  from  which  he  had  translated  the  book.  The 
following  testimony,  drawn  up  shortly  afterwards  and 
signed  by  the  witnesses,  they  published  with  the  other  testi- 
mony in  the  Book  of  Mormon.     It  is  as  follows: 

"Be  it  known  unto  all  nations,  kindreds,  tongues,  and 
people  unto  whom  this  work  shall  come,  that  Joseph  Smith, 
Jun.,  the  translator  of  this  work  has  shewn  unto  us  the 
plates  of  which  hath  been  spoken,  which  have  the  appearance 
of  gold;  and  as  many  of  the  leaves  as  the  said  Smith  has 
translated,  we  did  handle  with  our  hands ;  and  we  also  saw 
the  engravings  thereon  all  of  which  has  the  appearance  of 
ancient  work  and  of  curious  workmanship.  And  this  we 
bear  record  with  words  of  soberness  that  the  said  Smith  has 
shewn  unto  us  for  we  have  seen  and  hefted  and  know  of  a 
surety  that  the  said  Smith  has  got  the  plates  of  which  we 
have  spoken.  And  we  give  our  names  unto  the  world  to 
witness  unto  the  world  that  which  we  have  seen ;  and  we  lie 
not  God  bearing  witness  of  it. 

Christian   Whitmer,  Hiram  Page, 

Jacob  Whitmer,  Joseph  Smith,  Sen., 

Peter  Whitmer,  Jun.,  Hyrum  Smith, 

John  Whitmer,   *  Samuel  H.  Smith." 


78  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

Grounds  of  Belief  in  these  Testimonies. 
Such,  according  to  the  records  of  the  Church,  is  the  testi- 
mony of  the  three  and  of  the  eight  witnesses  of  the  divine 
origin  of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  And  here  we  should  let  the 
matter  rest  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  words  of  these 
men  have  so  often  been  disputed,  and  their  characters  as- 
sailed. We  shall,  therefore,  examine  what  they  say  on  the 
subject  with  a  view  to  ascertaining  its  probability,  first,  the 
testimony  of  the  three  and  afterwards  that  of  the  eight. 

One  thing  is  certain,  and  that  is,  that  they  always  spoke 
and  acted  as  if  they  themselves  had  not  the  slightest  doubt 
of  the  reality  of  the  vision.  Not  one  of  them  seems  to  have 
had  any  predisposition  to  be  visionary,  but  at  least  one,  Mar- 
tin Harris,  was  inclined  to  be  skeptical  respecting  the  super- 
natural. All  three  left  the  Church,  Cowdery  and  Whitmer 
having  been  excommunicated,  Harris  having  merely  drifted 
away.  And  it  is  singular  that  the  two  that  were  cut  off  from 
the  Church  were  charged,  not  with  denying  any  fundamental 
doctrine  of  "Mormonism,"  but  chiefly  with  rebellion  against 
the  authority  of  the  very  man  who  had  been  instrumental 
in  obtaining  them  the  vision  of  the  Nephite  plates.  Oliver 
Cowdery  died  in  1850,  David  Whitmer  in  1888,  and  Martin 
Harris  in  1875.  The  latter  two,  therefore,  lived  to  an  ad- 
vanced age.  And  yet  not  one  of  these  men  on  any  occasion, 
in  word  or  deed,  intimated  that  he  entertained  any  doubt 
whatever  of  the  truth  of  the  vision  he  claimed  to  have 
received.  The  last  words  of  each,  at  a  time  when,  of  all 
times,  truth  is  expected  to  sit  upon  the  lips,  were  a  reitera- 
tion of  his  testimony  respecting  the  divine  authenticity  of 
the  Book  of  Mormon. 

Were  these  men  deceived,  did  they  enter  into  a  collu- 
sion with  Joseph  Smith  to  deceive  the  world,  or  was  their 
testimony  true?  + 

In    the   first   place,   there    is   nothing   improbable    in    the 


THE  AMERICAN   BIBLE  79 

claim  that  they  received  a  vision.  Moses  saw  God  face  to 
face.  Angels  visited  Abraham,  Lot,  Jacob,  and  scores  of 
others.  John  the  Baptist  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord  speak- 
ing from  above  at  the  time  when  Jesus  was  baptized.  It  is 
true  that  visions  have  not  been  received  for  hundreds  of 
years,  but  there  is  nothing  in  the  Scriptures  to  forbid  them 
in  our  day,  or  to  imply  that  man  should  not  receive  them 
after  Bible  times.  On  the  other  hand,  the  probability  of  the 
latter-day  vision  is  established  by  several  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture. Joel,  in  an  access  of  prophetic  inspiration,  declared 
that,  in  the  last  days,  "your  daughters  shall  prophesy,  your 
old  men  shall  dream  dreams,  your  young  men  shall  see 
visions."  The  Revelator  speaks  of  an  angel  "flying  in  the 
midst  of  heaven"  in  the  hour  of  God's  judgment  with  a 
message  to  man  on  the  earth.  Many  other  passages  might 
be  quoted  to  the  same  effect.  Nor  is  there  anything  improb- 
able in  the  circumstances  of  their  seeing  golden  plates  bear- 
ing thereon  the  history  of  the  ancient  Americans.  It  is  not 
unlikely  that  this  continent  was  inhabited  at  the  time  which 
this  version  requires.  Indeed,  the  presence  of  people  here 
when  America  was  discovered  by  Europeans,  goes  to  show 
that  the  continent  was  inhabited  at  a  remote  period  in 
the  past;  and  hence  there  is  nothing  improbable  in  the 
claim  that  the  Lord  revealed  himself  to  the  people,  that  they 
wrote  their  history  on  metallic  plates,  and  that  these  plates 
should  be  given  to  some  prophet  in  our  day.  God,  said  the 
ancient  apostle,  "hath  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men 
for  to  dwell  on  the  face  of  the  earth ;"  and  Jesus  declared  to 
the  Jews  of  his  days,  "Other  sheep  I  have  which  are  not  of 
this  fold ;  them  also  must  I  visit  that  there  shall  be  one  shep- 
herd and  one  fold."  Hence  the  vision,  as  such,  is  not  im- 
probable. 

In  the  next  place,  the  conditions  under  which  the  vision 
was  received  were  such  as  to  preclude  the  probability  that 


80  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

the  witnesses  were  deceived.  In  the  testimony  attached  to 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  all  three  declare  (1)  that  they  saw  an 
angel,  the  plates,  and  the  writings  thereon  and  (2)  that  they 
heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord  speaking  from  above  announc- 
ing the  correctness  of  the  translation  and  commanding  them 
to  testify  to  all  the  world  concerning  what  they  then  heard 
and  saw ;  and  Oliver  Cowdery  is  known  to  have  declared 
during  his  life,  that  he  had  "handled  the  plates  with  his 
hands."  Here,  then,  is  no  room  for  illusion,  unless  all  the 
supernatural  manifestations  recorded  in  the  Bible  were  also 
illusions.  These  men  had  the  evidence,  of  sight  and  of  hear- 
ing, and  at  least  one  of  them,  and  probably  all  three,  had  the 
evidence  also  of  touch.  Could  any  revelation  from  God  be 
more  nearly  perfect  ? 

Thirdly,  the  circumstances  in  the  relationship  between 
these  three  witnesses  and  Joseph  Smith  forbid  us  to  believe 
that  there  was  a  collusion  in  the  matter  of  their  testimony. 
On  the  hypothesis  of  a  collusion,  the  relation  of  these  four 
men  to  one  another  would  have  been  very  different  from 
what  it  was.  Had  they  entered  into  an  agreement  to  swear 
to  a  falsehood,  there  would  have  been  during  their  whole 
lives  a  bond  of  close  attachment  that  nothing  could  break. 
There  would  have  been  no  rebukes  for  sin  from  the  leader, 
no  excommunication  for  transgression.  Fear  that  the  se- 
cret would  be  revealed  would  have  restrained  Joseph  Smith 
from  any  unfriendly  actions  towards  the  others.  It  would 
have  been  a  constant  finger-to-the-lip  association.  But  this 
was  not  the  relation  that  these  four  men  sustained  towards 
one  another.  The  head  of  the  Churcth  was  too  free  from 
such  restraints  to  do  any  crooking  of  the  pregnant  hinges  of 
the  knee,  that  faith  might  follow  fawning.  Hence,  when 
these  three  witnesses  disowned  his  authority  as  a  prophet  of 
God,  and  were  found  in  transgression,  he  was  as  quick 
to  excommunicate  them  as  he  would  have  been  in  the  case 


THE  AMERICAN  BIBLE  81 

of  the  humblest  member.  By  this  act  of  severing  them  from 
the  Church,  the  Prophet  substantially  invited  them  to  deny 
their  testimony  if  they  dared.  And  had  there  been  any  se- 
cret compact,  what  a  fine  opportunity  there  was  for  them  to 
get  revenge!  But  they  did  not  deny  their  testimony;  in- 
stead, they  constantly  affirmed  its  truth. 

Then,  again,  no  possible  motive  can  be  attributed  to  these 
men  for  continuing  to  reiterate  their  testimony  under  these 
conditions,  other  than  that  arising  from  truth.  On  the  con- 
trary, there  was  every  inducement  during  their  lives,  both 
while  they  were  in  the  Church  and  after  they  left  it,  to  con- 
fess their  deception,  if  it  were  a  deception.  As  has  often 
been  pointed  out,  every  motive  for  which  men  act  was  lack- 
ing in  their  case,  on  the  supposition  that  they  were  engaged 
in  a  religious  fraud.  There  were  no  honors  for  them,  there 
was  nothing  to  gratify  an  ambition  for  place  or  power.  The 
sect  was  small  and  violently  hated  and  opposed  wherever  it 
was  heard  of.  There  was  no  wealth  to  reward  cupidity. 
The  "Mormons"  were  a  people  stripped  and  peeled.  If 
these  men  had  any  property  to  begin  with  they  were  likely 
to  have  it  taken  from  them  at  any  moment  in  the  persecu- 
tions and  drivings  that  befell  the  society  prior  to  1838.  Then, 
too,  any  motive  finding  its  roots  in  pecuniary  gain  cannot  be 
attributed  to  Martin  Harris  on  other  grounds ;  for  he  sold 
his  farm  to  pay  for  the  printing  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and 
though  he  was  afterwards  reimbursed  for  this  sacrifice,  still 
it  was  at  the  time  a  total  loss  and  the  chances  were  against 
his  ever  getting  back  any  money.  It  is  not  at  all  probable 
that  men  would  have  acted  as  these  witnesses  did  with  the 
ordinary  motives  of  human  conduct  entirely  absent,  unless 
we  conceive  them  to  have  been,  in  the  language  of  orthodox 
Christians,  "totally  depraved ;"  and  this  hypothesis  would 
receive  ample  contradiction  in  the  lives  of  the  men  in  other 
respects. 


82  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

Besides,  the  temptation  to  reveal  the  secret,  if  there 
were  one,  would  be  too  great  for  ordinary  human  be- 
ings, under  these  circumstances,  to  resist.  While  these  men 
remained  in  the  Church,  poverty  and  persecution  would  be 
their  inevitable  portion,  and  a  bad  reputation  among  their 
neighbors,  the  Gentiles.  Knowing,  as  they  must  have 
known,  that  their  testimony  and  their  association  with  the 
"Mormons"  were  the  occasion  of  all  the  ill-will  they  en- 
dured, the  inducement  to  deny  their  testimony,  if  false, 
would  have  been  overwhelming.  And  after  they  left  the 
Church,  this  inducement,  on  the  hypothesis  always  of  the 
fraudulent  character  of  their  testimony,  would  have  in- 
creased tenfold.  They  had  broken  friendship  with  the 
Prophet,  and  he  had,  in  their  opinion,  done  them  wrong.  The 
natural  tendency  would  have  been  in  the  direction  of  re- 
venge. That  they  would  have  sought  and  obtained  it,  if 
they  had  entered  into  collusion  with  Joseph  Smith,  is  highly 
probable  from  the  spirit  both  Oliver  Cowdery  and  David 
Whitmer  manifested  when  the  charges  of  apostasy  were 
lodged  against  them.  In  addition  to  all  this  there  would  be 
the  trying  circumstances  of  constantly  testifying,  to  men 
who  besought  them  for  information  concerning  their  early 
connection  with  "Mormonism,"  that  the  Book  of  Mormon 
was  true ;  whereas  they  were  no  longer  connected  with  the 
Church  or  the  people  that  had  brought  it  forth.  That  this 
was  singularly  trying  to  their  sensibility  is  evident  from 
what  has  come  down  to  us  respecting  this  severe  ordeal.  A 
young  man  once  visited  David  Whitmer  for  the  purpose  of 
hearing  from  his  own  lips  his  testimony,  and  naturally 
enough,  exhibited  a  desire  to  ask  questions  in  relation  to  de- 
tails connected  with  the  vision.  The  aged  David,  with  a 
look  which  the  elder  has  never  forgotten,  turned  upon  him 
and  exclaimed :  "Young  man,  you  seem  to  think  it  an  honor 
to  be  one  of  the  witnesses  to  the  Book  of  Mormon ;  but  I  tell 


THE   AMERICAN    BIBLE  83 

you  it  is  not,  it  is  a  burden !"  And  such  it  must  indeed  have 
been.  But  under  all  these  circumstances  when,  if  their  testi- 
mony was  false,  they  would  surely  have  denied  it,  we  find 
them  as  firm  in  declaring  its  truth  as  they  were  under  other 
conditions.  The  only  possible  motive  that  we  can  attribute 
to  them,  in  the  premises,  is  that  growing  out  of  their  native 
integrity.  They  did  receive  a  vision ;  and  they  dared  not 
deny  it.  And,  what  is  more,  their  conduct  is  perfectly  con- 
ceivable on  the  hypothesis  that  they  were  honest  men  telling 
the  truth. 

But  there  is  a  certain  class  of  persons — chiefly  those 
who  are  engaged  in  the  investigation  of  the  material 
phenomena  of  the  universe — to  whom  this  testimony  of  the 
three  witnesses  counts  for  nothing.  "The  miraculous,"  they 
declare  in  the  language  of  Hume,  "is  the  impossible."  There 
is  no  such  thing  as  a  vision  or  a  revelation  of  the  divine; 
there  is  no  supernatural  in  a  religious  sense.  And  this  state- 
ment applies  equally  to  the  miraculous  in  the  Bible.  This 
objection  comes  mainly  from  the  non-religious.  And  the 
class  is  a  very  large  and  intelligent  one.  These  altogether 
refuse  to  listen  to  any  one  who  claims  to  have  received  a 
vision,  on  the  grounds  that  this  very  fact  disqualifies  him 
from  giving  rational  testimony.  And  so  we  have  an  appeal 
to  the  evidence  furnished  by  the  eight  witnesses.  The  testi- 
mony of  this  second  group  of  witnesses  has  been  suffered  by 
the  Saints  to  fall  into  undeserved  neglect,  as  if  it  were  lese: 
convincing  than  the  other.  And  by  a  certain  kind  of  "his- 
torians" it  is  flippantly  dismissed  with  the  statement  that 
"the  first  four  signers  were  members  of  the  Whitmer  fam- 
ily ;  Hiram  Page  was  a  root-doctor  by  calling,  and  a  son-in- 
law  of  Peter  Whitmer,  Sr. ;  and  the  three  Smiths  were  the 
Prophet's  father  and  his  two  brothers !"  This  testimony 
may  be  less  convincing  to  some  people,  namely,  those  who 
believe  in  the  Bible ;  but  to  another  class  it  is  more  convinc- 


84  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

ing — it  is  merely  a  matter  of  whether  reason  or  the  Scrip- 
tures be  accepted  as  the  standard  of  judgment.  There  was 
certainly  no  mistake  in  giving  the  two  kinds  of  testimony ; 
each  is  the  complement  of  the  other,  and  both  together  form 
a  witness  for  the  divine  origin  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  to 
overturn  which  requires  more  than  an  exclamation  point  or 
an  elevation  of  the  eyebrows. 

It  is  well  to  notice  the  difference  between  the  conditions 
under  which  this  testimony  was  given  and  those  under  which 
the  other  was  received.  The  first  was  accompanied  by  the 
power  of  God, — something  that  was  totally  absent  in  the  sec- 
ond, which  was,  on  the  contrary,  a  plain  matter-of-fact  ex- 
hibition of  the  plates  by  the  Prophet  to  these  eight  men. 
Those  who  reject  the  testimony  of  the  three  witnesses  would 
do  so,  as  already  remarked,  on  the  ground  that  the  men 
were  not  in  their  natural  state  of  mind.  They  were  wrought 
up,  such  persons  would  say,  to  a  state  where  they  might  be 
acted  upon  by  a  hypnotic  influence,  where  the  imagination 
would  be  the  most  active  faculty.  Hence,  according  to  this 
class,  they  would  not  on  this  account  be  competent  witnesses. 
But  here,  in  this  second  testimony,  is  an  instance  where 
the  supernatural  was  entirely  absent.  There  was  no  divine 
light,  there  was  no  angel,  there  was  no  voice  from  above. 
Nine  men  had  met  under  the  most  ordinary  human  condi- 
tions, and  one  of  them  had  handed  out  for  the  inspection  of 
the  others,  a  set  of  plates.  Those  eight  men  declare  that 
they  "hefted"  the  plates  and  inspected  the  writing  thereon, 
which  bore  traces  of  having  been  engraved  by  a  skilful  hand 
in  an  ancient  age. 

Now  these  men,  like  the  others,  were  either  deceived,  or 
they  were  deceivers,  or  their  testimony  is  true.  The  "ex- 
planation" has  been  offered  by  non-"Mormons"  that  perhaps 
Joseph  had  some  plates,  which  after  having  been  made  to 
bear  the  appearance  of  age  and  skill,  he  exhibited  to  the  men. 


THE  AMERICAN   BIBLE  85 

But  this  theory  is  too  improbable  in  view  of  the  youth  and 
lack  of  general,  let  alone  technical,  information  on  the  part 
of  the  Prophet.  Besides,  it  is  not  in  harmony  with  what  is 
known  of  the  character  of  Joseph  both  before  and  after  this 
time  ;  for  candor,  openness,  was  his  chief  characteristic.  A 
second  explanation  is  equally  untenable.  It  is  that  the  testi- 
mony was  a  pure  fabrication.  This  is  made  improbable  by 
the  fact  that  subsequently  three  out  of  the  eight — Jacob 
Whitmer,  John  Whitmer,  and  Hiram  Page — left  the  Church 
and  still  continued  to  maintain  that  their  testimony  was  true. 
The  only  tenable  position,  therefore,  is  that  they  did  see  the 
plates  from  which  the  Book  of  Mormon  was  translated.  And 
this  harmonizes  all  the  facts  in  the  case  with  what  we  know 
of  their  character. 

What  the  Book  of  Mormon  Is. 

This  remarkable  book  gives  an  account  of  the .  ancient 
inhabitants  of  America  from  about  twenty-two  hundred 
years  before  Christ  to  the  close  of  the  fourth  century  A.  D. 
It  is  partly  historical,  partly  doctrinal,  partly  prophetical, 
and  was  written  and  preserved  to  inform  the  "remnant  of 
the  house  of  Israel" — the  Lamanites — concerning  their  ori- 
gin, to  bring  both  them  and  the  Gentile  nations  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  true  God  and  his  dealings  with  his  children  on 
this  western  hemisphere  in  former  times,  and  also  to  cor- 
roborate the  Hebrew  Scriptures  as  a  witness  for  God  and  a 
future  life.  It  reveals  the  existence  of  two  distinct  races, 
of  which  we  shall  speak  separately. 

First  in  order  of  time,  though  not  in  order  of  import- 
ance in  the  Nephite  record,  is  the  Jaredite  nation,  named 
from  Jared,  one  of  its  first  leaders.  More  than  two  thou- 
sand years  before  the  Christian  era,  a  colony  of  a  few  fam- 
ilies left  Chaldea  and,  under  divine  guidance,  crossed  the 
ocean  in  eight  barges  and  landed  in  America.    Here  this  col- 


86  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

ony,  in  the  course  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  centuries,  grew  into 
a  numerous  and  powerful  race,  occupying  Central  and  North 
America,  and  becoming  highly  civilized.  The  chief  occupa- 
tions among  them  were  agriculture,  building,  and  manufac- 
turing, which  arts  they  brought  to  a  considerable  degree  of 
perfection.  The  ruins  of  this  ancient  people  are  a  strong 
attestation  of  their  skill  in  architecture  and  of  their  general 
civilization.  They  continued  as  a  nation  till  about  six  hun- 
dred years  before  Christ,  when,  in  conseqence  of  intestine 
strife  and  rebellion  against  the  law  of  God  given  them 
through  prophets,  their  national  life  was  brought  to  a  violent 
termination.  The  swift  narrative  of  this  mighty  and  exten- 
sive empire  forms  one  of  the  most  striking  literary  features 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

While  the  Jaredites  were  fighting  their  last  battles,  an- 
other colony — this  time  a  small  band  of  Israelites  from 
Jerusalem,  in  Palestine — landed  in  South  America,  led,  as 
the  other  had  been,  by  the  divine  hand.  In  a  few  years  after 
their  arrival  in  their  "Promised  Land,"  the  company  divided 
in  two  parts.  Each  took  the  name  of  its  leader ;  hence  one 
was  called  Nephites,  after  Nephi,  the  other  was  named 
Lamanites,  from  Laman.  The  latter,  in  consequence  of 
wickedness,  were  cursed  with  "a  skin  of  darkness,"  becom- 
ing wild  and  uncivilized  ;  while  the  former  retained  their  nat- 
ural color  and  kept  on  progressing.  The  Lamanites  are  the 
real  ancestors  of  our  American  Indians,  and  this  accounts 
for  their  color.  The  Nephites,  about  four  hundred  years 
after  they  left  Jerusalem,  were  joined  by  the  Mulekites.  a 
people  who  also  came  from  the  Holy  Land,  but  eleven  years 
later  than  Lehi's  colony.  The  Nephites  and  Lamanites  lived 
on  as  two  distinct  nations,  occupying  two  separate  parts  of 
the  country,  with  frequent  and  sometimes  long  periods  of 
destructive  war  between  them,  till  more  than  four  hundred 


THE  AMERICAN   BIKLE  8? 

years  after  Christ,  when  the  white  population  was  entirely 
destroyed  by  the  more  powerful  Lamanites. 

The  Nephites  had  in  their  possession  a  copy  of  the  Jew- 
ish Scriptures  down  to,  and  including  some  of  the  prophe- 
cies of,  Jeremiah,  which  the  colony  had  brought  with  them 
from  Jerusalem ;  and  this  circumstance  accounts  for  the  fre- 
quent quotations  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  from  the  Bible.  Of 
all  their  doings — their  prosperity,  religion,  society,  govern- 
ment, and  battles  with  the  Lamanities — these  people  kept  a 
detailed  account  upon  metallic  plates.  Two  sets  of  records 
were  in*  use  at  the  same  time,  some  on  which  was  recorded 
the  political  history,  and  others  on  which  was  written  their 
religious  history.  The  Nephites  were  a  civilized  people. 
They  had  most  of  the  arts  and  sciences  that  the  cultivated 
nations  of  the  European  world  could  boast  of  at  the  time 
America  was  discovered,  though  that  civilization  had  then, 
for  the  most  part,  long  since  disappeared.  The  chief  occu- 
pation of  the  people  was  agriculture. 

The  Book  of  Mormon  as  a  history  covers  in  all  more 
than  twenty-six  hundred  years,  and  narrates  the  events  in 
the  lives  of  three  separate  and  distinct  nations — the  Ne- 
phites, the  Lamanites,  and  the  Jaredites.  It  is  not  a  first- 
hand history,  by  which  is  meant  that  the  book,  as  we  have 
it  was  not  written  by  men  who  lived  at  the  time  of  the 
events  of  which  they  write ;  but  it  is  for  the  most  part,  an 
abridgment  made  by  Mormon,  a  man  who  lived  in  the  last 
period  of  which  the  book  treats.  This  abridgment  was  made 
from  narratives  composed  by  successive  historians.  The 
only  exception  to  this  is  the  first  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
pages  (to  the  "Words  of  Mormon"),  which  were  written 
by  Nephi,  Jacob,  Enos,  Jarom,  Omni,  Amaron,  Chemish, 
Abinadom,  and  Amaleki;  and  the  matter  in  the  last  fifty- 
three  pages  (from  p.  570  to  the  end),  which  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  few  epistles  written  by  his  father,  Mormon,  and 


88  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

some  general  religious  laws  in  vogue  among  the  Nephites, 
was  the  work  of  Moroni.  But  the  "Book  of  Ether,"  too,  is 
an  abridgment  made  from  larger  historical  records  among 
the  Jaredites.  Hence,  the  Book  of  Mormon,  as  we  have  it 
now,  is  the  work  of  eleven  men,  of  whom  three — Nephi, 
Mormon,  and  Moroni — wrote  all  but  twenty-eight  pages  out 
of  a  total  of  six  hundred  and  twenty-three.  And  yet,  not- 
withstanding this  vast  period  of  time  covered  by  the  work 
and  the  extensive  and  complicated  threads  of  narrative,  not 
a  single  contradiction  or  anachronism  has  been  discovered  by 
the  closest  and  most  critical  investigation.  Surely,  such  lit- 
erary consistency  is  no  small  achievement  for  an  unlearned 
youth  of  twenty-five  years ! 

The  Prophet  Joseph  is  said  to  have  remarked  concerning 
the  Book  of  Mormon  that  it  is  the  most  correct  of  any  rec- 
ord in  the  world,  that  it  is  the  keystone  of  our  religion,  and 
that  a  man  will  get  nearer  to  God  by  obeying  its  precepts 
than  by  living  in  accordance  with  those  of  any  other  volume. 
By  the  expression  "most  correct"  he  means,  of  course,  the 
most  perfect  in  doctrine.  Any  one  who  reads  this  sacred 
work  without  prejudice  must  concede  that  its  teachings  are 
pure  and  elevated.  Nothing  but  what  is  uplifting  in  religion 
may  be  found  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  there  is  nothing  in  it 
that  is  impure  or  obscene.  It  teaches  that  Christ  is  the  one 
standard  of  perfection,  and  encourages  conscious  imitation 
of  the  great  Example  on  pain  of  the  second  death.  It  con- 
demns in  the  strongest  terms  all  those  who  do  and  love  the 
wrong.  These  teachings  were  given  the  Nephites  by  the  nu- 
merous prophets  that  arose  among  them  and  by  our  Saviour 
in  person,  who  ministered  to  these  people  after  his  resurrec- 
tion in  Palestine.  If  nothing  else  would  convince  the  ordinary 
believer  in  the  Bible  that  the  Nephite  record  is  a  volume  of 
sacred  truth,  the  final  appeal  of  Moroni,  one  of  the  Nephites 
who  wrote  it,  and  the  person  who  hid  it  up  unto  the  Lord, 


THE  AMERICAN   BIBLE  89 

should  be  sufficiently  moving,  if  not  to  know  of  its  truth,  yet 
at  least  to  make  an  attempt  to  know ;  for  he  says,  as  he  wan- 
ders about  in  loneliness  and  is  on  the  point  of  delivering 
himself  up  to  whatever  fate  awaits  him  from  his  savage  pur- 
suers: "I  would  exhort  you  that  ye  would  ask  God,  the 
eternal  Father,  in  the  name  of  Christ,  if  these  things  are  not 
true ;  and  if  ye  shall  ask  with  a  sincere  heart,  with  real  in- 
tent, having  faith  in  Christ,  he  will  manifest  the  truth  of  it 
unto  you  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  by  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  ye  may  know  the  truth  of  all  things." 

How  the  Book  of  Mormon  Did  Not  Originate. 
No  sooner  had  the  Nephite  record  been  published  to  the 
world  than  it  was  violently,  even  maliciously,  assailed  with 
every  weapon  that  could  be  brought  to  bear  against  it  by 
those  who  refused  to  accept  the  "Mormon"  explanation  of 
its  origin.  Here  at  any  rate  was  the  book.  If  Joseph  did 
not  write  it,  either  with  or  without  divine  assistance,  who 
did?  It  did  not  write  itself.  So  men  began -cudgeling  their 
brains  for  a  satisfactory  account  of  the  volume. 

Mr.  John  Fiske,  with  a  flippancy  that  lays  him  open  to 
the  grave  suspicion  of  never  having  read  the  volume  he  en- 
deavors to  account  for,  or  studied  the  conditions  under 
which  it  was  brought  forth,  declares  in  his  Discovery  of 
America,  that  any  ignorant  man  familiar  with  the  language 
of  the  Bible  could  have  written  the  Book  of  Mormon.  Now, 
against  this  gratuitous  assertion  of  the  learned  historian  we 
may  at  least  set  the  findings  of  those  non-"Mormon"  writers 
who  have  seriously  thought  upon  their  subject,  and  the  list 
would  include  names  equally  honorable  with  that  of  Mr. 
Fiske.  For  the  consensus  of  opinion  respecting  this  point  is, 
that  no  "ignorant  man,"  however  "familiar  with  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Bible,"  could  have  written  the  book ;  else  un- 
believers would  not  have  turned  the  world  upside  down  in 


90  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

their  search  for  a  person  of  superior  ability  to  Joseph  Smith 
to  whom  could  be  ascribed  the  credit  of  writing  it.  Mr. 
Fiske  has  therefore  greatly  underestimated  the  difficulties 
encountered  by  the  uneducated  in  literary  composition,  es- 
pecially in  view  of  the  undeniable  fact  that  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  on  the  hypothesis  of  its  being  a  modern  work,  pre- 
supposes in  its  author  a  keen  attention  to  consistency  of  de- 
tail and  a  mind  capable  of  sustained  imagination.  Without 
entering  any  further  into  particulars  regarding  this  "explan- 
ation," we  may  dismiss  the  theory  with  the  foregoing  brief 
statement,  and  pass  to  a  consideration  of  another,  which  is 
more  commonly  met  with  in  the  mouths  of  those  who  do  not 
believe  in  the  Book  of  Mormon — namely,  the  Spaulding 
story. 

It  was  in  1834.  The  Church  had  been  organized  at 
Fayette,  Seneca  county,  New  York,  and  had  been  removed 
thence  to  Kirtland  and  vicinity,  in  Ohio.  In  this  place,  a 
man  named  D.  P.  Hurlburt  joined  its  ranks.  Anti-"Mor- 
mon"  writers  have  been  in  the  habit  of  dubbing  him  "Dr. 
Philastus  Hurlburt,"  so  as  to  lend  dignity  to  this  explana- 
tion ;  but  the  man  was  never  a  "doctor"  of  law  or  medicine 
or  divinity  or  of  anything  else ;  he  had  been  given  this  first 
name  "Doctor"  because  he  was  the  seventh  son,  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  belief  of  a  certain  class  at  the  time,  was  expected 
to  become  a  physician.  He  had  been  a  Methodist,  but  had 
been  expelled  from  that  denomination  for  immoral  conduct. 
Soon  after  his  conversion  to  "Mormonism"  he  was  ordained 
to  the  priesthood  and  sent  on  a  mission  to  Pennsylvania  ;  but 
falling  into  disrepute  there,  he  was  recalled.  Tried  before 
the  brethren  at  Kirtland  for  conduct  unbecoming  a  Latter- 
day  Saint,  he  was  found  guilty,  and  threatened  with  excom- 
munication if  he  did  not  repent  and  improve  his  life.  He 
manifested  signs  of  penitence,  and  was  forgiven.  But  he 
declared  afterwards — and  he  may  be  believed,  for  the  thing 


THE  AMERICAN   BIBLE  91 

is  in  strict  accord  with  the  rest  of  his  conduct — that  he  had 
only  shammed  repentance  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  he 
could  deceive  the  Prophet  Joseph.  He  again  fell  into  sin, 
for  which,  in  June,  1833,  he  was  cut  off  from  the  Church. 
His  disappointed  ambition  sought  revenge.  Collecting  to- 
gether the  enemies  of  the  Saints  in  and  about  Kirtland,  he 
incited  them  to  deeds  of  violence  against  the  Prophet  and  the 
Saints  generally.  In  April,  1834,  he  was  arrested  and  tried 
for  threatening  Joseph's  life  and  compelled  by  the  court  to 
"enter  into  a  new  recognizance,  with  good  and  sufficient  se- 
curity, in  the  sum  of  two  hundred  dollars,  hereafter  to  keep 
the  peace  and  be  of  good  behavior  to  the  citizens  of  the 
State  of  Ohio  generally,  and  to  the  said  Joseph  Smith, 
Junior,  in  particular  for  the  period  of  six  months." 

Now  it  happened  that  while  doing  missionary  work  in 
Pennsylvania,  part  of  which,  of  course,  consisted  in  preach- 
ing the  Book  of  Mormon,  he  heard  of  a  Mr.  Solomon 
Spaulding  and  a  certain  manuscript  which  he  had  written 
and  which,  it  was  said,  resembled  the  Nephite  Record. 
Hurlburt,  however,  his  mind  occupied  with  other  matters, 
paid  no  attention  at  the  time  to  either  the  man  or  his  story. 
But  revenge  against  his  one-time  religious  friends  now 
whetted  his  curiosity  in  both.  So  he  went  post-haste  to  his 
old  field  of  labor,  his  interest  keenly  alive  to  any  scrap  of 
information  he  might  brush  up  concerning  the  alleged  simi- 
larities between  the  Manuscript  and  the  "Mormon  Bible." 

Naturally  enough,  his  eagerness  was  rewarded  by  a 
wealth  of  important  "facts."  He  learned  that,  in  1812,  there 
had  lived  at  Conneaut,  Ohio,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Solomon 
Spaulding.  This  man  had  received,  it  was  asserted,  a  "good 
education,"  having  been  graduated  from  Dartmouth  College 
in  1785.  For  some  time  after  his  graduation  he  had  held  a 
pastorate  of  an  obscure  church,  but  becoming  dissatisfied 
with  Christianity,  he  had  turned  infidel.     While  living  in 


92  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

Ohio,  he  became  interested  in  the  ancient  moundbuilders, 
whose  ruins  are  so  numerous  in  that  State,  and  conceived  an 
ambition  to  write  "a  fanciful  history  of  the  ancient  races  of 
this  country."  This  ambition  was  subsequently  realized  in  a 
work  which  bore  the  attractive  title  The  Manuscript  Story, 
and  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of  reading  for  the  delectation 
of  his  neighbors.  In  the  same  year  (1812)  he  removed  with 
his  family  to  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  for  the  purpose,  it  ap- 
pears, of  getting  his  work  published.  Here  he  fell  in  with  a 
printer  named  Patterson,  to  whom  he  submitted  the  manu- 
script. Mr.  Patterson,  it  was  claimed,  returned  it  to  Mr. 
Spaulding  with  the  advice  to  "polish  it  up."  After  two 
years'  residence  at  Pittsburg  the  family  moved  to  Amity,  in 
the  same  State,  where  the  author  died  in  1816.  This  manu- 
script story,  Hurlburt  was  assured,  resembled  very  closely 
the  contents  of  the  Book  of  Mormon — so  closely,  in  fact, 
that  the  old  neighbors  of  Mr.  Spaulding  were  struck  with 
the  similarities  as  soon  as  they  heard  the  latter  read  by  the 
"Mormon"  elders,  though  it  had  been  eighteen  or  twenty 
years  since  they  had  been  amused  by  the  "romance."  Like 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  they  told  him,  it  was  written  in 
"Bible  style."  The  expression,  "and  it  came  to  pass,"  oc- 
curred so  often  that  some  of  the  neighbors  used  to  call  the 
author  "Old  Come-to-pass."'  Nay,  they  further  affirmed,  the 
proper  names  were  identical  with  those  in  the  "Mormon 
Bible."  Thev  distinctly  remembered  the  names  "Nephi," 
"Lehi,"  and  "Moroni." 

But  where  was  the  Story?  and  how  was  Hurlburt  to  get 
it?  Spaulding' s  widow,  by  this  time  Mrs.  Davidson,  was 
living  in  Massachusetts ;  no  doubt  she  would  have  it.  To 
her,  therefore,  he  wrote.  She  replied  that  it  was  now  in  a 
small  trunk  which  had  belonged  to  her  husband,  and  which 
was  at  her  uncle's  in  Pennsylvania.  But  Mr.  Hurlburt 
might  have  it,  provided  he  would  return  it  and  give  her, 


THE  AMERICAN   BIBLE  93 

when  it  was  published,  one-half  the  proceeds.     Hurlburt 
promised,  and  she  let  him  take  the  manuscript. 

Acting  on  the  hints  he  had  received  during  his  absence 
from  Ohio,  he  returned  to  the  neighborhood  of  Kirtland 
bearing  Mr.  Spaulding's  Story  and  also  weighty  thoughts 
concerning  the  Book  of  Mormon,  the  latter  of  which  he  in- 
tended to  elaborate  into  a  volume.  He  lacked  means,  how- 
ever, to  publish  it.  So  he  revealed  enough  of  his  theory  in 
public  lectures  to  induce  his  friends  to  contribute  several 
hundred  dollars  towards  the  enterprise.  In  due  time,  the 
book  appeared,  bearing  the  sensational  title,  Mormonism 
Unveiled,  by  E.  D.  Howe,  in  which  the  Book  of  Mormon 
was  declared  to  have  originated  in  the  Spaulding  Manu- 
script Story. 

The  substance  of  this  Howe-Hurlburt  explanation  is  as 
follows :  While  Spaulding  was  at  Pittsburg,  there  lived  at 
this  place  a  young  man  named  Sidney  Rigdon,  who  worked 
for  Mr.  Patterson  in  the  printing  office.  Young  Rigdon,  al- 
ways on  the  look-out,  it  seems,  for  future  greatness,  and  hav- 
ing an  opportunity  and  plenty  of  time  while  the  manuscript 
lay  on  the  shelf  of  the  printing  house,  copied  it  word  for 
word,  and  stowed  away  his  copy  till  a  propitious  moment 
should  arrive  when  he  might  make  something  out  of  it.  In 
course  of  time  he  drifted  into  the  ministry — we  are  using 
the  language  of  non-"Mormdn"  writers — wandering  around 
from  one  denomination  to  another,  but  meantime  revolving 
in  his  mind  his  literary  project,  and  working  at  odd  mo- 
ments upon  a  new  version  of  the  Story.  When  his  work  was 
completed,  which  differed  from  that  of  Spaulding  chiefly  in 
that  he  had  injected  into  it  a  strong  vein  of  theology,  he 
named  it  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  gave  it  to  Joseph  Smith, 
with  instructions  to  say  that  it  had  been  revealed  to  him  by 
an  angel.  Such,  in  brief,  is  the  theory  advanced  in  Mormon- 
ism Unveiled  to  account  for  the  Nephite  record. 


94  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS    OF    MORMONISM 

This  Howe-Hurlburt  explanation  of  the  origin  of  the 
"Mormon  Bible"  was  instantly  accepted  by  those  who  re- 
fused to  listen  to  Joseph  Smith's.  And  wherever  the  Latter- 
day  Saint  elders  went  they  were  confronted  with  the  bald 
assertion:  "JosePn  Smith  did  not  write  the  book,  Sidney 
Rigdon  wrote  it  from  the  Spaulding  manuscript  I"  This  the- 
ory, to  paraphrase  what  has  been  asserted  of  Hume's  "the- 
miraculous-in-the-impossible"  idea,  has  always  served  as  a 
sort  of  Aladdin's  lamp  with  those  who  lack  the  time,  the 
brains,  or  the  inclination  to  look  into  the  story  for  them- 
selves. Rub  this  wonderful  lamp,  and  all  the  hitherto  mys- 
terious avenues  of  knowledge  respecting  the  origin  of  the 
work,  open  up,  and  the  nefarious  conduct  of  Joseph  Smith 
and  his  colleagues  in  the  matter  springs  up  like  a  vision.  A 
catch  phrase  was  needed,  which,  on  lips  of  the  ignorant, 
would  have  identically  the  same  effect  as  on  the  lips  of  the 
learned,  and  at  the  same  time  require  no  exertion  on  the 
part  of  either  in  the  way  of  study  or  reflection.  It  was  in- 
vented by  Howe  and  Hurlburt.  It  has  a  talismanic  effect 
when  uttered  with  a  sober  countenance  and  grave  accents. 
Men  who  are  utterly  incapable  of  following  a  train  of 
thought  for  ten  minutes  at  a  time  bandy  this  explanation 
about  among  their  friends  when  a  really  intelligent  investi- 
gator suggests  how  difficult  it  is  to  arrive  at  a  conclusion 
respecting  the  origin  of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  I  venture 
the  assertion  that  no  man  can  honestly  examine  this  theory 
and  then  conscientiously  advance  it  as  a  satisfactory  explana- 
tion of  the  Nephite  record. 

In  support  of  this  hypothesis  concerning  the  origin  of 
the  Book  of  Mormon  not  a  scintilla  of  real  evidence  has  ever 
been  adduced,  either  in  this  original  statement  by  Howe- 
Hurlburt  or  in  the  hundred-and-one  revampings  of  it  by 
later  exponents.  It  is  true  that  there  has  been  published  a 
"terrifying"  array  of  affidavits  by  old  persons  who  soberly 


THE   AMERICAN    BIBLE  95 

avow  that,  in  their  early  youth,  they  heard  Solomon  Spauld- 
ing  read  parts  of  his  manuscript,  and  that,  after  a  lapse  of 
from  twenty  to  even  sixty  years,  they  have  a  vivid  recollec- 
tion of  names  and  incidents  contained  in  the  Story.  But  it 
is  over-taxing  our  powers  of  credulity  to  ask  us  to  believe 
that  so  slight  an  incident  as  this  could  have  made  so  striking 
an  impression  on  their  minds,  when  there  was  nothing  in 
the  nature  of  the  thing  itself  to  awaken  at  the  time,  anything 
more  than  the  most  commonplace  interest. 

There  are  too  many  weak  places  in  the  theory  to  entitle 
it  to  any  serious  consideration  as  an  explanation  of  how  we 
got  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

In  the  first  place,  it  has  never  been  shown  that  Sidnev 
Rigdon  was  at  Pittsburg  when  Spaulding  was  there,  that  he 
was  ever  in  the  employ  of  Patterson,  the  printer,  and  that, 
therefore,  he  was  ever  in  a  position  to  purloin  the  manu- 
scrip.  All  statements  to  the  contrary  are  mere  assertion. 
Rigdon  himself  declared  that  he  had  never  been  at  Pitts- 
burg till  1822,  eight  years  after  Spaulding's  departure  from 
that  city  with  his  manuscript  securely  locked  up  in  a  trunk. 
But  granting  that  Rigdon  was  at  Patterson's  printing  office 
while  Spaulding  was  at  Pittsburg,  what  motive  could  he 
have  had  to  steal  the  Story?  It  is  highly  improbable,  to 
say  the  least,  that  Rigdon  would  have  kept  the  manuscript 
by  him  from  1812  till  1830,  a  period  of  eighteen  years.  But 
even  if  we  admit  that  he  did  all  this,  it  has  to  be  shown  how 
a  man  of  Rigdon's  position  and  ability  would  steal  such  a 
miserable  piece  of  writing  as  this  Spaulding  Manuscript  is 
In  the  absence,  therefore,  of  any  working  motive  on  the  part 
of  Sidney  Rigdon  in  this  alleged  conduct  in  relation  to 
Spaulding's  narrative,  the  "Mormons"  may  well  be  par- 
doned for  refusing  to  credit  the  story. 

In  the  next  place,  the  advocates  of  this  theory  have  never 
been  able  to  explain  how  it  was  that  Joseph   Smith  and 


96  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

Sidney  Rigdon  got  together  prior  to  the  publication  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon.  The  assertion  that  they  did  is  wholly 
gratuitous.  The  testimony  of  every  one  connected  with  the 
matter  is  against  the  allegation.  Joseph  Smith,  in  his  jour- 
nal, records  that  the  first  meeting  between  him  and  Rigdon 
took  place  in  December,  1830.  Parley  P.  Pratt,  in  his 
Autobiography,  gives  the  circumstances  of  his  meeting  with 
Sidney  in  the  fall  of  1830,  and  presenting  him  with  a  copy 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  which  the  latter  was  by  no  means 
desirous  of  receiving.  Oliver  Cowdery  declared  that  he 
wrote  the  Book  of  Mormon  with  his  own  hand.  And,  finally, 
Sidney  Rigdon  himself  solemnly  protested  to  the  world  that 
he  never  saw  or  heard  of  the  Nephite  record  till  it  was  pre- 
sented to  him  by  Parley  P.  Pratt  in  the  latter  part  of  1830, 
several  months  after  its  publication.  A  theory,  surely,  has 
little  claim  to  our  respect  which  is  based  on  the  mere  as- 
sumption that  all  these  men  deliberately  lied. 

Concerning  Rigdon's  testimony  we  may  add  another 
word,  inasmuch  as  an  anti-"Mormon"  historian  has  recently 
averred  that  this  great  preacher  never  directly  denied  his 
connection  with  the  origin  of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  In  1863 
his  son,  John  W.  Rigdon,  visited  Utah  and  was  so  much 
concerned  over  the  association  which  his  father  was  com- 
monly thought  to  have  had  with  the  Prophet  prior  to  the 
publication  of  the  book,  that  he  determined,  when  he  re- 
turned to  the  East,  to  obtain  a  final  statement  from  his  father. 
Accordingly,  when  the  two  met  again,  John  W.  said :  "You 
have  always  told  me  one  story,  that  you  never  saw  the  Book 
of  Mormon  until  it  was  presented  to  you  by  Parley  P.  Pratt 
and  Oliver  Cowdery ;  that  all  you  ever  knew  of  the  origin  of 
that  book  was  what  they  told  you  and  what  Joseph  Smith 
and  the  witnesses  who  claimed  to  have  seen  the  plates  had 
told  you.  Is  this  true?  If  so,  all  right;  if  it  is  not,  you  owe 
it  to  me  and  to  vour  familv  to  tell  it.    You  are  an  old  man 


THE   AMERICAN    BIBLE  97 

and  you  will  soon  pass  away,  and  I  wish  to  know  if  Joseph 
Smith,  in  your  intimacy  with  him  for  fourteen  years,  has  not 
said  something  to  you  that  led  you  to  believe  he  had  obtained 
that  book  in  some  other  way  than  what  he  told  you.  Give  me 
all  you  know  about  it,  that  I  may  know  the  truth."  Sidney 
Rigdon  looked  at  his  son  a  moment,  raised  his  hand  above  his 
head,  and  said  slowly  and  emphatically,  his  eyes  moistening 
with  tears :  "My  son,  I  can  swear  before  high  heaven  that 
what  I  have  told  you  about  the  origin  of  that  book  is  true. 
Your  mother  and  sister,  Mrs.  Athalia  Robinson,  were  pres- 
ent when  tijgt  book  was  handed  to  me  in  Mentor,  Ohio,  and 
all  I  ever  knew  about  the  origin  of  the  book  was  what  Parley 
P.  Pratt,  Oliver  Cowdery,  Joseph  Smith,  and  the  witnesses 
who  claimed  they  saw  the  plates  have  told  me,  and  in  all  of 
my  intimacy  with  Joseph  Smith  he  never  told  me  but  the 
one  story,  and  that  Was  that  he  found  it  engraved  upon  gold 
plates  in  a  hill  near  Palmyra,  New  York,  and  that  an  angel 
had  appeared  to  him  and  directed  him  where  to  find  it,  and 
I  have  never  to  you  or  to  any  one  else,  told  but  the  one  story 
and  that  I  now  repeat  to  you."*  "I  believed  him,"  continues 
Mr.  John  W.  Rigdon,  "and  now  believe  that  he  told  me  the 
truth.  He  also  said  to  me  after  that  that  Mormonism  was 
true;  that  Joseph  Smith  was  a  Prophet,  and  this  world 
would  find  it  out  some  day."  It  is  difficult  to  believe  that 
Sidney  Rigdon  would  face  the  stern  and  terrible  realities  of 
eternal  world  with  a  lie,  foul  and  deadly,  on  his  lips.  A 
short  time  ago   (in  1904)   John  W.  Rigdon  demonstrated 


*At  the  time  of  Sidney  Rigdon's  death  in  July,  1876,  the  Friend- 
ship Register  said  that  "numerous  pilgrimages  had  been  made  to 
him  from  different  parts  by  various  persons  desirous  of  obtaining 
further  information  from  him  relating  to  the  origin  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  but  he  unwaveringly  adhered  to  his  original  theory  on  this 
matter,  being  the  same  as  that  held  by  the  Mormons ;  and  he  treated 
with  great  scorn  and  contempt  the  statement  of  parties  imputing  the 
authorship  of  the  work  to  himself." 


98  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

his  belief  in  his  father's  words  by  joining  the  Church,  in 
New  York  City. 

It  has  always  been  the  custom  of  anti-" Mormon"  writers- 
to  evade  these  weak  points  on  the  ground  that  "it  is  more 
important  to  establish  the  fact  that  a  certain  thing  was  done 
than  to  prove  just  how  or  when  it  was  done."  But  since  it 
is  clear  from  the  facts  in  the  case  that  "neither  time  nor 
place  did  then  adhere,"  and  that  our  opponents  are  endeav- 
oring f'to  make  both,"  the  precise  point  at  issue  is  how  and 
when.  Such  an  evasion  as  this,  is  additional  evidence  of  the 
weakness  of  the  Hurlburt-Howe  explanation. 

A  recent  "historical  inquiry"  into  "Mormonism"  makes 
what  it  imagines  a  strong  point  in  favor  of  the  Spaulding 
theory  out  of  the  relationship  which  Sidney  Rigdon  sus- 
tained to  Joseph  Smith.  "We  shall  find,"  it  says,  "that,  al- 
most from  the  beginning  of  their  removal  to  Ohio,  Smith 
held  him  in  a  subjection  which  can  be  explained  only  on  the 
theory  that  Rigdon,  the  prominent  churchman,  had  placed 
himself  completely  in  the  power  of  the  unprincipled  Smith, 
and  that  instead  of  exhibiting  self-reliance,  he  accepted  insult 
after  insult  until,  just  before  Smith's  death,  he  was  prac- 
tically without  influence  in  the  church."  But  it  is  extremely 
improbable  that  a  man  "as  self-reliant  and  smart  as  Ridgom 
was"  would  have  submitted  with  so  much  servility  to  th«t 
dictation  of  "an  ignorant  country  clown."  This  explanation 
defeats  its  purpose  by  raising  a  fresh  barrier  to  our  belief 
in  the  hypothesis.  The  thing  we  must  believe,  if  we  credit 
this  theory,  is,  that  a  really  learned  and  eloquent  preacher,, 
"with  a  superabundant  gift  of  tongue  and  every  form  of 
utterance"  at  his  command,  would  steal,  without  any  conceiv- 
able motive,  a  miserable  manuscript  that  any  schoolboy 
would  be  ashamed  to  call  his  own;  that  an  ambitious  and 
irascible  temper,  so  accustomed  to  leadership  everywhere 
else,  would  cringe  in  abject  submission  to  the  contemptu- 


THE    AMERICAN    BIBLE  99 

ous  dictates  of  an  uncouth  country  boy  twelve  years  his 
junior;  and  that  this  man  could  not,  in  the  thirty-five  years 
remaining  of  his  life,  though  removed  from  the  Church,  re- 
cover from  this  personal  despotism !  And  what  motive  could 
Sidney  Rigdon  have  had  for  all  this  craven  servility,  which 
utterly  broke  his  spirit,  despoiled  his  highest  hopes,  and 
crushed  his  very  manhood?  Poverty,  ignominy,  persecu- 
tion, and  disgrace  all  his  days!  If  Rigdon  had  been  a 
preacher  of  any  other  sect,  his  eloquence  and  learning  would 
have  commanded  a  reasonable  competence  during  his  life. 
With  any  other  religion  he  might  have  enjoyed  a  life  of  ease 
and  respectability,  instead  of  sharing  with  the  "Mormons" 
the  hatred  and  opposition  of  mankind.  In  a  society  such  as, 
according  to  those  who  believe  that  he  was  the  "organizing 
genius  of  Mormonism,"  he  possessed  the  ability  to  effect,  he 
might  have  been  the  foremost  character,  instead  of  remain- 
ing the  mere  dupe  and  tool  of  another,  who  is  regarded  as 
greatly  his  inferior.  Then,  too,  if  we  would  believe  this 
theory,  we  must  not  call  to  mind  the  magnificent  opportunity 
he  had  when  the  death  of  Joseph  Smith  removed  the  only 
partner  of  his  "guilty  secret!"  One  word  of  his  on  this  oc- 
casion, granting  his  relationship  with  the  Prophet  to  have 
been  such  as  his  enemies  affirm,  would  have  sounded  the 
death-knell  of  "Mormonism,"  and  would  have  brought  him 
honor  and  praise  from  those  who  had  fought  against  the 
Church.  That  he  would  have  done  this  had  he  been  in  pos- 
session of  such  a  secret  is  evident  from  what  he  did  do ;  for 
he  did  his  utmost  to  break  up  the  Church,  when  he  discov- 
ered that  it  was  not  likely  to  give  encouragement  to  his  am- 
bition for  leadership.  Besides,  a  man  who  is  capable  of-per- 
petrating  such  a  fraud  as  is  charged  against  Sidney  Rigdon 
would  scarcely  have  any  scruples  about  revealing  the  secret 
when  it  was  so  clearly  to  his  advantage  to  do  so.  At  any 
rate,  we  may  well  be  pardoned  for  entertaining  doubts  as  to 


100  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

this  alleged  wickedness  on  the  part  of  Rigdon,  so  long  as 
there  is  no  explanation  of  his  silence  when  the  Prophet  died. 
There  is  a  more  sensible  way  to  account  for  this  "servility" 
and  "meanness  of  spirit"  on  the  part  of  Sidney  Rigdon ;  that, 
namely,  which  accounts  for  the  "servility"  and  "meanness" 
of  "Mormons"  generally:  Truth  took  hold  of  his  heart, 
plain,  Bible  truth,  and  he  "feared"  to  lose  his  soul  by  utterly 
renouncing  it. 

The  Spaalding  Manuscript  Recovered. 

Such  in  general  were  the  arguments  with  which  the  Saints 
met  the  bald  assertions  of  their  opponents.  But  of  recent 
years  this  absurd  theory  has  had  new  light  thrown  upon  it 
by  the  recovery  of  the  original  Manuscript  Story  of  Solo- 
mon Spaulding. 

When  this  Spaulding  origin  of  the  Nephite  Record  was 
first  invented,  the  Saints,  of  course,  demanded  that  the  man- 
uscript be  produced  as  proof  that  there  was  sufficient  resem- 
blance between  it  and  the  Book  of  Mormon  to  warrant  the 
conclusion  that  the  one  originated  in  the  other.  Or,  if  this 
were  not  done,  that  there  be  exhibited  at  least  quotations 
from  it.  But  it  was  asserted  that  the  Manuscript  had  been 
destroyed  in  a  fire  that  occurred  in  the  printing  establish- 
ment owned  by  E.  D.  Howe,  the  author  of  Mormonism  Un- 
veiled! For  Hurlburt  had  neither  published  the  work  nor 
returned  it  to  its  owner,  Mrs.  Davidson,  though  she  had  re- 
peatedly requested  him  to  send  it  back  according  to  his 
agreement.    And  so  the  matter  rested  until  a  few  years  ago. 

In  1884,  the  late  President  James  H.  Fairchild,  of 
Oberlin  College,  Ohio,  was  on  a  visit  to  Honolulu,  and  was 
staying  with  his  old  friend,  Mr.  L.  L.  Rice,  who  had  pur- 
chased the  printing  establishment  of  Howe,  the  author  and 
publisher  of  Mormonism  Unveiled.  Mr.  Rice  and  Mr.  Fair- 
child  were  looking  over  the  numerous  old  documents  which 


THE   AMERICAN    BIBLE  101 

the  former  had  in  his  possession,  to  see  if  there  was  anything 
valuable  pertaining  to  the  Civil  War,  when  they  came  upon 
the  Manuscript  Story  of  Mr.  Spaulding.  Having  heard  of 
the  alleged  connection  between  this  narrative  and  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  their  curiosity  was  naturally  aroused  concern- 
ing this  old  manuscript,  and  they  sat  down  and  carefully  com- 
pared the  two  works.  The  result  of  their  examination  may 
be  learned  from  Mr.  Fairchild's  published  statement:  "The 
theory  of  the  origin  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  in  the  tradi- 
tional manuscript  of  Solomon  Spaulding  will  probably  have 
to  be  relinquished Some  other  explana- 
tion of  the  Book  of  Mormon  must  be  found,  if  any  explana- 
tion is  required."  Two  years  later,  the  Manuscript  Story 
was  published,  nearly  half  a  century  after  it  was  said  to  have 
been  destroyed. 

The  contents  of  this  notorious  work  are  as  follows :  Some 
time  during  the  reign  of  Constantine,  in  Rome,  a  cer- 
tain Fabius  embarks  for  Britain  with  an  important  message 
for  the  Islanders.  Near  the  British  coast,  however,  the 
ship  encounters  a  storm,  is  driven  about  aimlessly  by  the 
raging  elements,  and,  finally,  in  fulfillment  of  a  prediction 
by  some  one  on  board,  approaches  the  coast  of  America. 
Upon  landing,  the  Romans  are  welcomed  by  the  "Deli- 
wares,"  a  tribe  of  Indians,  among  whom  they  decide  to  make 
a  home.  Now,  it  happened  that  they  had  on  board  their 
vessel  seven  young  women,  three  of  whom  were  "ladies  of 
rank"  and  the  rest  "healthy,  bucksome  Lasses."  Desiring  to 
make  the  best  of  their  lot,  it  was  decided,  since  there  were 
more  men  than  women,  that  these  latter  should  choose  hus- 
bands ;  which  they  did,  leaving  the  rest  of  the  men  to  live  in 
single  blessedness  or  select  dusky  helpmates.  After  a  resi- 
dence of  about  two  years  among  the  "Deliwares,"  they 
move  westward  several  days'  journey  to  a  tribe  called  the 
"Ohons."    These  natives,  by  reason  of  the  labors  of  a  wise 


102  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

man  named  Lobaska,  are  more  civilized  and  refined  than 
the  tribe  they  have  left.  In  this  part  of  the  country,  there 
exist  two  great  empires,  one  on  the  south  side  of  the  Ohio, 
called  Kentuck,  the  other  on  the  north  side,  bearing  the 
name  Sciota.  Here  follows  a  description  of  the  natives, 
their  habits,  laws,  government,  and  religion.  Upon  this 
background  which  occupies  the  first  fifty-five  pages — nearly 
half  the  book — there  is  constructed  a  slender  love  story. 
Elseon,  a  prince  of  the  Kentucks,  pays  a  visit  to  the  court  of 
Sciota,  where  he  falls  in  love  with  Lamesa,  daughter  of  the 
Sciotan  emperor.  A  law  of  both  nations  forbids  the  mar- 
riage of  these  two,  but  they  nevertheless  determine  to  wed ; 
so  they  elope  to  the  empire  of  the  Kentucks,  where  there 
prevails  a  more  liberal  construction  of  the  law,  and  they  are 
joined  in  matrimony.  War,  therefore,  breaks  out  between 
these  two  peoples,  in  which  thousands  are  slain  on  both 
sides,  and  in  which  victory  perches  on  the  banner  of  the 
Kentucks.  At  this  point  the  narrative  suddenly  breaks  off, 
evidently  unfinished. 

The  work  in  published  form  contains  about  one-tenth 
as  much  reading  matter  as  the  Book  of  Mormon.  It  is 
wretchedly  composed;  it  is  filled  with  dashes,  indicating 
broken  sentences ;  only  in  the  latter  half,  which  is  by  far  the 
best  written,  are  there  any  traces  of  imagination,  and  even 
then  there  is  a  frequent  falling  from  the  sublime  to  the  lu- 
dicrous ;  there  are  occasional  passages  containing  obscene 
suggestions ;  and  the  task  of  reading  it  is  intolerably  tedious. 
The  manuscript,  as  we  have  it,  answers  perfectly  to  the  de- 
scription given  it  by  Mr.  Patterson  in  his  advice  to  the  au- 
thor "to  polish  it  up ;"  for  certainly  one  can  hardly  conceive 
a  literary  work  more  painfully  in  need  of  polishing. 

While,  it  must  be  admitted,  there  are  some  general  re- 
semblance between  this  work  and  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
both  in  content  and  in  external  details,  still,  candor  and  hon- 


THE   AMERICAN    BIBLE  103 

csty  will  force  from  the  bitterest  anti-"Mormon"  of  reason- 
able veracity  the  admission  that  the  differences  between  the 
two  works  are  so  great  as  forever  to  preclude  the  possibility 
of  any  connection  between  them.  Both  the  Manuscript 
Story  and  the  Nephite  Record  claim  to  be  translations ;  but 
the  former  is  a  translation  of  a  Latin  parchment  found  in  an 
Ohio  mound,  the  latter  is  a  translation  of  golden  plates 
written  in  what  is  known  as  reformed  Egyptian.  Mormon's 
abridgment  was  revealed  through  the  instrumentality  of  an 
angel  and  translated  by  direct  inspiration ;  the  Story  of  Fa- 
bius  is  a  "romance"  discovered  by  the  merest  accident,  the 
fiction  of  discovery  being  merely  a  cheap  literary  device  to 
increase  its  sale.  The  one  is  a  record  of  Hebrew  colonies  led 
hither  by  the  divine  hand,  while  the  other  is  an  account  of 
a  Roman  company  driven  to  America  by  the  mishap  of  ad- 
verse winds.  The  Manuscript  Story  assumes  the  existence 
of  the  tribes  of  Indians  on  this  continent  at  the  time  when 
the  Romans  landed  here;  the  Book  of  Mormon  gives  the 
•origin  of  the  red  man  in  the  western  hemisphere.  Spauld- 
ing's  narrative,  if  it  arouse  interest  at  all,  will  do  so  entirely 
by  reason  of  a  slender  element  of  love,  the  religious  being 
wholly  absent  except  where  the  creeds  and  ceremonies  of 
the  heathen  natives  are  described ;  Mormon's  history,  on  the 
contrary,  is  wanting  in  the  love-element  and  depends  mainly 
upon  the  religious,  which  colors  almost  every  instance. 


CHAPTER  V 

FROM    OUT   THE    WILDERNESS 

When  the  Prophet  Joseph  was  told  in  the  first  vision  that 
the  "Christian"  world  had  long  since  departed  from  the 
truth,  he  was,  in  all  probability,  also  informed  that  if  he 
proved  faithful  he  should  be  the  instrument  in  the  hands  of 
God  in  establishing  the  true  Church  on  the  earth.  All  the 
visions  which  the  youthful  seer  had  received,  and  even  the 
translation  of  the  Nephite  Scriptures,  were  but  preparatory 
to  the  organization  of  the  Church.  It  were  a  small  matter, 
after  all,  that  the  world  should  know  of  their  apostate  condi- 
tion, that  the  Book  of  Mormon  contained  the  "fulness  of  the 
everlasting  gospel,"  that  communication  between  heaven  and 
earth  was  again  a  fact;  there  must  be  the  true  Church  of 
Christ  for  them  to  join  in  order  for  salvation  to  be  secured.. 
And  so  the  next  step  necessary  to  the  progress  of  this  great 
work  was  the  effecting  of  a  Church  organization. 

Restoration  of  the  Priesthood. 

But  in  order  to  do  this  it  was  necessary  that  the  true 
priesthood  be  restored.  The  purpose  of  the  first  vision  was, 
in  part,  to  inform  Joseph  and  the  world  that  the  true  Church 
was  not  on  the  earth,  and  therefore,  that  men  did  not  have 
the  necessary  authority  to  administer  in  the  ordinances  of 
the  gospel.  The  object  of  the  revelations  of  Moroni  was  to 
disclose  the  ancient  nations  of  America  to  the  modern  world, 
and  to  authorize  and  bring  about  the  translation  of  the 
records  of  those  peoples.  In  none  of  these  numerous  and 
important  revelations  was  the  holy  priesthood  restored  to 


FROM    OUT    THE    WILDERNESS  105 

men.  It  required,  therefore,  a  new  dispensation  of  the  di- 
vine goodness  before  such  an  important  responsibility  could 
be  assumed  by  the  Prophet. 

Two  distinct  orders  of  priesthood  were  revealed  to  Jo- 
seph at  different  times.  The  Aaronic  was  conferred  by 
John  the  Baptist ;  and  the  Melchizedek  by  the  ancient  apos- 
tles, Peter,  James,  and  John. 

The  restoration  of  the  Aaronic  priesthood  occurred  in 
May,  1829,  while  Joseph  and  Oliver  were  translating  the 
Book  of  Mormon.  The  occasion  was  their  reading  in  the 
Nephite  Record  of  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sin.  Not 
understanding  the  passage,  the  young  men  went  into  the 
woods  to  pray  about  it.  While  thus  engaged,  they  were  vis- 
ited by  a  heavenly  messenger,  who  stood  before  them  en- 
veloped in  a  cloud  of  light.  Placing  his  hands  upon  the 
heads  of  the  young  men,  he  ordained  them  to  the  Aaronic 
priesthood,  saying:  "Upon  you,  my  fellow  servants,  in  the 
name  of  Messiah,  I  confer  the  priesthood  of  Aaron  which 
holds  the  keys  of  the  ministering  of  angels  and  of  the  gos- 
pel of  repentance,  and  of  baptism  by  immersion  for  the  re- 
mission of  sins ;  and  this  shall  never  be  taken  from  the 
earth,  until  the  sons  of  Levi  do  offer  again  an  offering  unto 
the  Lord  in  righteousness. "  The  messenger  was  John  the 
Baptist ;  and  he  explained  to  the  young  men  that  he  acted 
under  the  direction  of  the  apostles  Peter,  James,  and  John, 
who,  he  added,  would  in  due  time  bestow  upon  them  the 
higher  or  Melchizedek  priesthood.  This  Aaronic  priesthood, 
the  angel  said,  had  not  the  power  of  laying  on  hands  for 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  authority  should  be  con- 
ferred on  them  later. 

The  heavenly  messenger  gave  them  instructions  as  to 
what  they  were  to  do  after  his  departure.  They  were  to 
baptize  and  afterwards  to  ordain  each  other.  This  they  did 
precisely  as  the  angel  had  commanded,  Joseph  baptizing  and 


106  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF  MORMON  ISM 

ordaining  Oliver  first.  The  Prophet's  record  of  this  event 
goes  on  to  say  that  upon  coming  out  of  the  water,  each  in 
turn  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  prophesied  many 
things  that  should  shortly  come  to  pass  and  that  pertained 
to  the  rise  of  the  Church. 

Of  this  really  dramatic  event  the  Prophet  makes  no 
comment  whatever;  he  is  satisfied  with  merely  noting  the 
facts.  Nevertheless,  it  must  have  created  in  him  feelings  of 
the  greatest  awe  and  impressiveness.  But  Oliver's  exuber- 
ant feelings  in  later  years  overflowed  into  expressions  of 
the  wildest  raptures  of  delight,  which  showed  that  the  very 
memory  of  this  divine  manifestation  thrilled  his  soul  with 
heavenly  ecstasy.  "What  joy!"  he  exclaims,  "what  wonder! 
what  amazement!  While  the  world  was  racked  and  dis- 
tracted— while  millions  were  groping  as  the  blind  for  the 
wall,  and  while  all  men  were  resting  upon  uncertainty,  as  a 
general  mass,  our  eves  beheld — our  ears  heard.  As  in  the 
blaze  of  day;  yes,  more — above  the  glitter  of  the  May  sun- 
beam, which  then  shed  its  brilliancy  over  the  face  of  nature ! 
Then  his  voice,  though  mild,  pierced  to  the  center,  and  his 
words,  T  am  thy  fellow  servant,'  dispelled  every  fear.  We 
listened,  we  gazed,  we  admired!  'Twas  the  voice  of  an  an- 
gel from  glory — 'twas  a  message  from  the  Most  High,  and 
as  we  heard  we  rejoiced,  while  his  love  enkindled  upon 
our  souls,  and  we  were  rapt  in  the  vision  of  the  Almighty 
,  .  .  earth  nor  men,  with  the  eloquence  of  time  cannot 
begin  to  clothe  language  in  as  interesting  and  sublime  a 
manner  as  this  holy  personage." 

All  this  occurred  at  Harmony.  Fearing  persecution  if 
they  communicated  the  facts  of  this  vision  to  anyone,  they 
kept  the  matter  entirely  to  themselves. 

Not  long  after  this — some  time,  most  probably,  in  the 
latter  part  of  this  same  month,  beween  Harmony,  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Colesville,  New  York,  on  the  Susequehanna 


FROM   OUT   THE   WILDERNESS  107 

river — the  promise  of  the  angel  was  fulfilled  and  the  higher 
priesthood  was  restored  by  the  ancient  apostles,  Peter, 
James,  and  John.  We  do  not  know  the  precise  date  or  place 
at  which  this  important  manifestation  took  place;  we  can 
obtain  only  an  approximate  time  and  location,  and  even 
these  we  have,  for  the  most  part,  to  get  by  a  series  of  in- 
ferences from  revelations  to  the  Prophet.  But  however 
uncertain  we  may  be  regarding  these  comparatively  unim- 
portant matters,  the  fact  itself  remains — the  power  of  apos- 
tleship,  the  Melchizedek  priesthood,  was  conferred  upon  the 
Prophet  Joseph  and  Oliver  Cowdery  under  the  hands  of 
those  who  were  ordained  by  Christ  himself  and  who  were 
among  the  last  to  hold  it  in  ancient  times. 

The  Church  Organized. 

Thus  empowered  from  on  high,  Joseph  still  awaited  the 
time  when  the  Lord  should  instruct  him  to  proceed  further. 
Very  early  in  April,  1830,  he  received  a  revelation  (section 
20)  in  which  he  was  informed  how  to  organize  the  Church. 
Accordingly,  on  Tuesday,  the  sixth  day  of  this  month, 
Joseph  and  a  few  others  who  had  received  his  work  with 
favor,  met  at  the  home  of  Father  Peter  Whitmer,  at  Fay- 
ette, Seneca  county,  and  proceeded  to  organize  the  Church 
according  to  the  instruction  in  the  revelation.  The  meeting 
was  opened  by  prayer,  after  which  Joseph  inquired  of  those 
present  whether  they  were  willing  to  accept  himself  and 
Oliver  Cowdery  "as  their  teachers  in  the  things  of  the  king- 
dom of  God,"  and  whether  they  were  willing  that  the 
Church  should  be  organized  according  to  the  commandment 
to  do  so.  The  result  was  a  unanimous  affirmative  vote. 
Joseph  then  laid  his  hands  upon  the  head  of  Oliver  Cowdery 
and  ordained  him  an  elder,  and  Oliver,  in  turn,  ordained 
Joseph  to  the  same  office.  The  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
supper  was  administered,  and  each  of  those  who  had  been 


108  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS    OF    MORMONISM 

baptized  was  confirmed  by  the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the 
reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Spirit  was  manifest  at 
the  meeting  in  a  remarkable  manner;  all  rejoiced  exceed- 
ingly that  once  more  the  true  Church  was  on  earth;  and 
some  of  those  present  exercised  the  gift  of  prophecy.  Only 
six  persons  constituted  the  membership  of  the  new  organ- 
ization, when  it  wTas  created.  Their  names  are:  Joseph 
Smith,  Jr.,  Oliver  Cowdery,  Hyrum  Smith,  Peter  Whit- 
mer,  Jr.,  Samuel  H.  Smith,  and  David  Whitmer.  All  of 
these  had  been  baptized  already,  Joseph  and  Oliver  on  the 
day  John  the  Baptist  appeared  to  them;  Samuel  on  the 
twenty-fifth  of  the  same  month ;  and  the  other  three  some 
time  in  June  following;  but  all,  it  seems,  were  baptized 
again  on  the  sixth  of  April,  the  day  of  the  organization. 

A  question  has  arisen  concerning  the  total  number  of 
persons  who  had  been  baptized  prior  to  the  organization  of 
the  Church.  It  is  well  known  that  there  were  only  six  be- 
longing to  the  first  organization,  this  number  being  neces- 
sary to  fulfill  the  law  of  New  York  State  at  this  time ;  but  it 
is  also  known  that  there  were  others  who  had  been  bap- 
tized, but  whose  names  are  not  given  in  this  account  of  the 
organization.  The  number  of  those  who  had  been  baptized 
before  April  6th  has  been  variously  estimated  at  sixteen, 
thirty,  thirty-five,  forty,  and  seventy-six.  All  these  esti- 
mates, however,  are  too  high.  In  the  minutes  of  the  second 
conference  of  the  Church  held  at  Fayette  on  the  26th  of 
September,  1830,  the  membership  is  given  at  sixty-two.  In 
the  same  place  it  is  stated  that  out  of  this  number  thirty- 
five  had  joined  since  ''the  last  conference,"  which  was  held  on 
June  9th.  This  would  make  the  membership  of  the  Church 
on  this  last  date  twenty-seven.  Now,  according  to  the  rec- 
ords of  the  Church,  Oliver  Cowdery  had  baptized  four  per- 
sons on  the  6th  of  April;  on  the  11th  of  this  month  he  had 
baptized   six;   and   on   the    18th   seven   more;   and    Newel 


FROM    OUT    OF   THE    WILDENRESS  109 

Knight  had  been  baptized  in  the  last  week  of  May;  which 
makes  a  total  of  eighteen  who  had  joined  the  Church  be- 
tween April  6th  and  June  9th.  This  would  leave  only  nine 
persons  who  had  been  baptized  prior  to  the  day  of  organ- 
ization. 

While  the  meeting  was  yet  in  session  Joseph  received 
the  revelation  recorded  in  section  21  of  the  Doctrine  and 
Covenants.  The  Church  was  instructed  in  this  revelation  to 
keep  a  record,  in  which  Joseph  was  to  be  called  a  "seer,  a 
translator,  a  prophet,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ,  an  elder  of 
the  Church  through  the  will  of  the  Father  and  the  grace  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  The  people  were  admonished  to 
"give  heed  unto  all  his  words  and  commandments  which  he 
shall  give  unto  you  as  he  receiveth  them,  walking  in  all  holi- 
ness before  me ;  for  his  word  ye  shall  receive,  as  if  from  mine 
own  mouth,  in  all  patience  and  faith."  And  they  were 
promised  that  if  they  did  this,  the  gates  of  hell  should  not 
prevail  against  them,  and  the  Lord,  through  his  Prophet, 
would  "move  the  cause  of  Zion  in  mighty  power  for  good." 
In  the  same  revelation  Oliver  Cowdery  was  designated  the 
first  preacher  of  the  Church,  not  only  to  the  Saints,  but  also 
to  the  world,  Jew  and  Gentile.  After  this,  the  Prophet  says, 
"some  others"  were  "called  out"  and  ordained  "to  different 
offices  in  the  priesthood,"  according  to  the  manifestations  of 
the  Spirit.  The  meeting  was  then  dismissed.  There  were 
present  "several  persons,  who  had  not  been  baptized,"  but 
who  became  convinced  of  the  truth  and  shortly  afterwards 
joined  the  Church. 

Another  meeting  was  held  at  the  Whitmer  home  on  the 
following  Sunday,  April  11th,  at  which  Oliver  Cowdery 
preached  the  first  public  discourse  under  the  auspices  of  the 
new  organization.  On  the  same  day  six,  and  on  the  18th 
seven,  persons  were  added  to  the  Church. 


110  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS    OF    MORMONISM 

The  Name  of  the  New  Soeiety. 

There  does  not  seem  to  have  been  any  distinct  name  assigned 
the  new  society  on  this  occasion.  For  several  years  after- 
wards, in  fact,  it  was  called  variously  'The  Church  of 
Christ,"  "The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,"  "The  Church  of 
God,"  and  even  "The  Church  of  the  Latter-day  Saints." 
Very  frequently  from  that  day  to  this  it  has  been  called  by 
writers  within  and  without  the  organization  "The  Mormon 
Church,"  and  the  religion  "Mormonism,"  though  these  terms 
seem  not  to  have  been  employed  very  often  by  the  early 
Saints.  The  true  name  of  the  Church  as  given  by  the  Lord 
himself  in  a  revelation  dated  April  26th,  1838,  is  "The 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints."  Whatever 
appellation  is  given  it,  we  must  understand,  is  altogether 
unauthorized  unless  it  is  given  by  the  Lord.  The  term  "Mor- 
mon Church,"  it  is  safe  to  say,  will  never  be  the  designation 
of  this  organization,  for  the  simple  reason  that  it  is  not 
Mormon's  Church,  any  more  than  it  is  Joseph  Smith's  or 
Brigham  Young's,  or  any  one  else's,  except  Christ's.  Like 
the  term  "Christian,"  it  was  given  in  derision ;  and  the  word, 
wherever  it  appears  should  for  this  and  the  reason  just 
named,  be  enclosed  in  the  customary  quotation  marks. 

"The  appropriateness  of  this  title,"  remarks  Elder  B.  H.  * 
Roberts,  in  a  footnote  to  the  "History  of  the  Church"  (Vol. 
II,  p.  24),  "is  self  evident,  and  in  it  there  is  a  beautiful  recog- 
nition of  the  relationship  both  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and 
of  the  Saints  to  the  organization.  It  is  The  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ.'  It  is  the  Lord's ;  he  owns  it,  he  organized  it. 
It  is  the  sacred  Depository  of  his  truth.  It  is  his  instru- 
mentality for  prommulgating  all  those  spiritual  truths  with 
which  he  would  have  mankind  acquainted.  It  is  his  instru- 
mentality for  perfecting  the  Saints,  as  well  as  for  the  work 
of  the  ministry.  It  is  his  in  all  these  respects ;  but  it  is  an 
institution  which  also  belongs  to  the  Saints.    It  is  their  ref- 


FROM    OUT   OF   THE    WILDERNESS 


111 


uge  from  the  confusion  and  religious  doubt  of  the  world.  It 
is  their  instructor  in  principle,  doctrine,  and  righteousness. 
It  is  their  guide  in  matters  of  faith  and  morals.  They  have 
a  conjoint  ownership  in  it  with  Jesus  Christ,  which  owner- 
ship is  beautifully  recognized  in  the  latter  part  of  the  title. 
The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints'  is  equiv- 
alent to  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ,'  and  The  Church  of 
the  Latter-day  Saints.'  " 


CHAPTER  VI 

NOT   OF   THE    WORLD 

No  sooner  was  the  new  Church  organized  than  it  met  with 
opposition.  At  Fayette,  attempts  were  made  to  do  violence 
to  the  converts  of  the  "new"  gospel.  Here  Joseph  had 
probably  met  with  less  opposition  than  at  any  place  where 
he  had  lived  since  the  memorable  year  1820.  He  had  been 
ridiculed  for  his  belief  wherever  else  he  went.  Here  he  had 
been  treated  at  least  with  respect,  and  in  many  cases  with 
positive  friendship.  Now,  however,  much  of  this  was 
changed.  When  it  was  found  that  he  was  obtaining  a  fol- 
lowing, and  was  actually  organizing  this  following  into  a 
church,  those  who  did  not  believe  in  him  or  his  work  sought 
to  interfere  with  its  progress.  Not  only  at  Fayette  was  op- 
position manifested.  Colesville,  in  New  York,  and  Har- 
mony, in  Pennsylvania,  were  scenes  of  more  or  less  opposi- 
tion. 

The  First  Miracle. 

At  Colesville,  the  disturbance  between  the  Saints  and  their 
opponents  was  of  a  somewhat  serious  character,  and  created 
much  trouble  among  those  who  had  been  baptized.  It  was 
at  this  place,  it  will  be  remembered,  that  Joseph  Knight 
lived.  The  Prophet,  it  seems,  had  known  Mr.  Knight  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  had  worked  for  the  latter  during 
much  of  the  time  that  intervened  between  the  first  vision  and 
the  year  1827,  when  he  received  the  plates.  He  had,  more- 
over, been  several  times  befriended  by  Mr.  Knight  while 
translating  the  record.  Mr.  Knight,  therefore,  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  Joseph's  character,  and,  though  a  Universal- 


NOT   OF    THE    WORLD  113 

ist,  had  been  impressed  with  the  young  man's  message. 
Joseph  had  often  visited  the  Knights,  where  he  had  always 
been  made  welcome  and  where  he  had  often  had  conversa- 
tions with  them  on  religion. 

Mr.  Knight  had  a  son  Newel,  with  whom  Joseph  was  on 
intimate  terms.  Newel  had  promised  Joseph  that  he  would 
pray  at  one  of  the  meetings  which  were  held  at  his  father's 
house ;  but  when  the  time  came,  he  failed  to  do  so.  Upon 
being  chided  by  the  Prophet  for  his  neglect,  he  said  that  he 
would  pray  alone  instead  of  in  public.  This  he  attempted  to 
do  one  day  in  a  grove  not  far  from  his  home,  when  he  was 
seized  by  a  strange  power  which  bound  his  tongue  so  that  he 
could  not  speak.  Shortly  afterwards  he  returned  to  his 
house.  He  had  no  sooner  reached  home  than  he  was  again 
seized  by  this  terrible  power,  but  with  such  violence  this  time 
as  to  result  in  all  manner  of  bodily  contortions.  He  was 
tossed  about  the  room  in  a  most  frightful  manner.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  making  his  wife  understand  that  he  wished  Joseph 
to  come  to  his  aid ;  and  she  immediately  went  for  the  Proph- 
et. As  soon  as  Joseph  entered  the  room  Newel  said,  "I  am 
possessed  by  an  evil  spirit,  and  I  want  you  to  rebuke  him." 
The  Prophet  replied,  "If  you  believe  that  I  can  do  it,  it  shall 
be  done."  And  almost  unconsciously  he  commanded  the  evil 
spirit,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  depart.  Immediately 
Newel  was  made  well,  and  he  declared  that  he  saw  the  Devil 
leave  him  and  pass  out  of  the  room.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
now  entered  him,  giving  him  a  feeling  of  supreme  joy.  It 
lifted  him  bodily  from  the  bed  where  he  lay,  till  his  head  and 
shoulders  touched  the  ceiling.  This  was  the  first  miracle 
ever  performed  in  this  dispensation,  "and  it  was  done,"  re- 
marks the  Prophet  in  speaking  of  it  later,  "not  by  the  power 
of  man,  but  by  the  power  of  God,  to  whom  be  glory  forever." 

A  number  of  those  who  wittnessed  it  were  non-members 
of  the  Church,  but  they  joined  soon  afterwards. 


114  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

Of  course  the  news  of  this  miracle  soon  spread  over  the 
neighborhood.  Before  this,  when  people  began  to  attend  the 
meetings  and  to  believe  the  new  faith,  religious  jealously  be- 
gan to  manifest  itself,  endeavoring  to  prevent  the  work  from 
spreading  among  the  people.  This  wonderful  manifestation, 
of  course,  only  added  fuel  to  the  flame  of  this  opposing 
spirit,  which  grew  during  the  successes  of  the  Saints  till  it 
was  a  formidable  power  against  truth.  Meetings  were 
held  at  the  Knight  home  and  elsewhere,  and  were  attended 
by  the  people  in  the  vicinity.  Alarm  grew  apace.  One 
minister,  it  is  said,  failing  in  his  efforts  to  persuade  a  young 
lady,  a  sister  of  Newel  Knight's  wife,  from  listening  to  the 
elders  and  attending  their  meetings,  secured  from  her  father 
a  power  of  attorney  over  her  and  took  her  away  from  the 
place ;  but  even  this  extreme  measure  was  ineffectual,  for 
she  afterwards  returned  and  was  baptized.  Failing  in  a 
mild  way  to  turn  the  people  from  the  gospel,  the  enemy 
resorted  to  violence. 
Arrests  and  Trials  of  Joseph. 

Some  time  later  than  this,  Joseph,  with  his  wife  Emma  and 
two  or  three  elders,  went  to  Colesville  for  the  purpose  of 
attending  to  a  number  of  baptisms.  Saturday  evening  some 
of  the  Saints  made  a  dam  in  a  creek  so  that,  on  the  following 
day,  the  ordinance  might  be  performed.  But  during  the 
night  the  dam  was  torn  out  by  an  enemy.  On  Monday,  how- 
ever, the  converts  were  baptized  early  in  the  morning  before 
any  opposition  could  be  manifested  to  such  a  degree  as  to 
prevent  the  work.  Finding  their  efforts  thwarted  thus,  a 
mob  to  the  number  of  about  fifty,  collected  before  Knight's 
house,  where  the  Prophet  and  his  friends  were  staying. 
Joseph  went  out  and  spoke  to  them  calmly,  but  without 
pacifying  them.  Finally  they  left  without  doing  any  other 
injury  than  offending,  with  profanity  and  threatenings,  the 
sensitive  ears  of  those  who  were  the  objects  of  their  rage. 


NOT   OF   THE    WORLD  115 

The  next  morning  an  officer  came  to  the  house  and  ar- 
rested Joseph  for  setting  the  country  in  an  uproar.  This 
officer,  however,  before  leaving  with  his  prisoner,  revealed  a 
plot  that  had  been  made  to  get  the  Prophet  into  the  hands  of 
a  mob,  but  expressed  his  determination  to  frustrate  this 
wicked  design.  The  two  were  soon  on  their  way  to  South 
Bainb ridge,  in  an  adjacent  county,  where  the  Prophet  was 
to  be  tried.  On  their  way  they  passed  a  crowd  of  men,  evi- 
dently those  of  whom  the  sheriff  had  spoken,  who  stood 
waiting  for  the  approach  of  the  two.  The  officer,  however, 
whipped  up  his  horse,  and  left  them  running  in  the  rear 
venting  themselves  in  curses  and  yells.  Arrived  at  Bain- 
bridge,  the  friendly  officer  took  his  prisoner  to  an  inn  and 
protected  him  from  any  possible  danger,  giving  him  the  only 
bed  in  the  room,  while  he  himself  lay  on  the  floor,  with  his 
feet  against  the  door,  ready  to  rise  at  the  first  alarm. 

In  due  time  the  trial  took  place.  Every  effort  that  mal- 
ice could  put  forth  was  exerted  by  the  Prophet's  enemies  to 
convict  him  of  an  offense  against  the  law.  Witnesses  who 
knew  nothing  of  the  Prophet's  character  and  history  except 
from  hearsay,  were  allowed  to  testify  against  him.  Every- 
one who  knew  him  personally — as  for  example,  Josiah  Stoal, 
Joseph  and  Newel  Knight — had  nothing  but  good  to  say 
of  him.  An  effort  was  made  to  prove  that  Joseph  had 
stolen  a  yoke  of  oxen  from  Mr.  Stoal,  but  the  latter  testi- 
fied on  the  stand  that  he  held  Joseph's  note  for  the  amount 
of  the  purchase,  and  that  he  would  dispose  of  more  oxen  to 
him  on  the  same  terms.  Joseph  was  of  course  discharged, 
the  judge  advising  the  young  man's  accusers  to  go  home 
and  spend  their  time  in  less  mischievous  employment. 

As  soon,  during  the  trial,  as  it  appeared  that  Joseph 
could  not  be  convicted  of  any  offense  against  the  law,  his 
accusers  sent  to  Broome  county  for  another  warrant,  delay- 
ing the  court  by  the  most  trifling  matters  until  it  reached 


116  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

them.  Hence,  as  soon  as  the  Prophet  was  released,  which 
was  about  midnight,  he  was  a  second  time  apprehended  for 
offenses  alleged  to  have  been  committed  in  Broome  county. 
This  time,  being  in  the  custody  of  an  officer  who  was  in 
harmony  with  the  mob,  he  was  subjected  to  ill-usage.  He 
was  compelled,  for  instance,  to  travel  a  distance  of  fifteen 
miles,  at  the  end  of  which  he  was  forced  to  sleep  in  the  arms 
of  his  cruel  guard,  who  trembled  with  apprehension  lest  his 
prisoner  should  escape.  His  hunger,  moreover,  was  ap- 
peased by  crusts  of  bread,  and  water,  the  only  food  which 
he  was  permitted  to  have. 

The  trial  began  at  ten  o'clock  and  continued  till  past 
four  in  the  morning,  without  intermission.  The  whole 
country  was  dragged  for  men  who  would  testify  against 
the  Prophet,  whether  they  knew  him  or  not.  The  counsel 
for  the  state  endeavored  to  wrest  Newel  Knight's  testimony 
concerning  the  miracle  wrought  in  his  behalf  into  evidence 
against  Joseph  as  a  teacher  of  a  false  religion;  as  if  the 
advocate  of  spiritual  error  were  a  crime  against  the  tem- 
poral law!  After  two  hours  were  spent  by  the  lawyers  in 
arguing  the  case,  the  prisoner  was  pronounced  "not  guilty'' 
and  discharged.  The  judges — for  there  were  three — did 
not,  like  the  judge  in  the  former  case,  tell  the  false  accusers 
that  they  ought  to  be  engaged  in  better  work,  but  to  put  on 
as  good  a  face  as  possible  to  the  mob,  gave  the  accused  a 
severe  reprimand.    Joseph  was  once  more  a  free  man. 

In  both  trials  the  Prophet  was  ably  defended  by  a  Mr. 
Reid,  who,  though  now  a  farmer,  had  been  a  practicing 
attorney  well  versed  in  the  law.  Mr.  Reid,  several  years 
after  this,  testified  that  when  approached  by  Joseph's  friends 
to  take  the  case  he  felt  deeply  impressed  "to  go,"  as  he  put  it, 
"to  defend  the  Lord's  anointed."  After  the  second  trial  the 
officer  who  acted  so  cruelly  toward  Joseph  came  to  the 
Prophet  and  apologized  for  his  maltreatment,  and  to  prove 


NOT  OF  THE   WORLD  117 

his  sincerity  assisted  him  to  turn  aside  a  third  attempt  to 
arrest  him. 

Harmony  was  really  the  home  of  the  Prophet  from  the 
time  he  first  went  there  to  translate  the  plates  till  the  present, 
although  he  had  been  away  most  of  the  time  since  he  and 
Oliver  went  to  live  at  the  Whitmer's,  in  Fayette.  Joseph's 
father-in-law  was,  just  before  the  time  of  which  we  are  now 
speaking,  particularly  favorable  to  the  work.  Especially  did 
he  entertain  no  bitterness  for  Joseph.  Indeed,  the  latter  had 
some  hopes  of  eventually  bringing  Mr.  Hale  and  his  family 
into  the  Church.  During  the  time  when  the  work  of  trans- 
lation was  carried  on  at  Harmony,  Joseph  and  Oliver  had 
many  times  owed  their  freedom  from  persecution,  and  even 
mob  violence,  to  the  friendship  of  the  Hales.  Now,  however, 
it  was  different.  When  the  Prophet  returned  to  his  home 
after  the  organization  of  the  Church,  he  found  the  family 
very  bitter  against  him.  A  Methodist  minister  had  been 
laboring,  during  his  absence,  to  turn  them  against  Joseph, 
and  had  uttered  many  base  falsehoods  against  him,  which 
the  family  believed.  Joseph,  when  he  returned,  tried  to  win 
them  over  to  his  cause;  but  was  unsuccessful;  they  were 
set  in  their  opposition.  When,  after  this,  persecution  was 
started  against  the  Prophet,  and  mob  violence  threatened 
his  life,  Mr.  Hale  refused  longer  to  exert  his  influence  to 
protect  his  son-in-law.  Hence,  Joseph  was  forced  to  leave 
Harmony,  and  take  up  his  residence  at  Fayette.  This  breach 
between  Joseph  and  his  wife's  father  was  never  repaired. 

In  addition  to  this  opposition  from  without  there  occurred 
two  instances,  though  at  different  times,  showing  that  there 
existed  dissension  within  the  Church. 

The  first  concerned  Oliver  Cowdery  in  particular.  Elder 
Cowdery,  it  seems,  had  been  pondering  over  the  revelations 
given  through  the  Prophet.  He  wrote  to  Joseph,  who  was 
then  living  at  Harmony,  commanding  him  "in  the  name  of 


118  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMON  ISM 

God"  to  erase  certain  words  in  one  of  the  revelations,  "that 
no  priestcraft  be  among  us."  Joseph  wrote  to  him  asking  by 
what  authority  he  commanded  him  to  "add  to  or  diminish 
from"  a  revelation  given  by  the  Lord.  Shortly  afterwards 
the  Prophet  visited  Oliver  at  Fayette  and  found  he  had 
misled  the  Whitmer  family  into  believing  that  those  particu- 
lar words  he  had  objected  to  were  wrong.  However,  it  was 
not  long  before  Joseph  convinced  them  all  that  the  words 
were  in  entire  harmony  with  the  rest  of  the  revelation ;  and 
peace  and  union  were  restored. 

Another  similar  error  arose  in  the  Chuch,  this  time  in- 
volving, chiefly,  Hiram  Page.  He  had  in  his  possession  a 
certain  stone  by  which  he  claimed  to  have  received  some 
revelations  concerning  the  upbuilding  of  Zion  and  other 
things,  at  variance  with  the  word  of  God  to  the  Prophet  and 
that  also  in  the  New  Testament.  But  when  he  was  shown 
his  error  he  entirely  renounced  it,  as  did  those  also  whom  he 
had  deceived.  Thus  Satan  began  to  waylay  some  of  the 
Saints  by  endeavoring  to  counterfeit  the  revelations  of  the 
Lord.  But  as  these  errors  were  uprooted  almost  as  soon  as 
planted,  they  did  little  or  no  harm. 
The  Peace  Which  Passeth  Understanding. 
Neither  opposition  from  without,  however,  nor  discord  with- 
in the  Church  was  to  be  the  only  lot  of  the  infant  organiza- 
tion. There  were  blessings  also  in  store  for  the  Saints.  The 
very  opposition,  as  it  has  so  often  proved  since,  was  a  source 
of  subsequent  joy.  Dreams  and  visions  began  to  illumine 
their  minds,  in  fulfillment  of  the  Prophet  Joel's  prediction. 
Joseph  continued  to  receive  revelations  for  the  guidance  of 
the  Church.  Everywhere  the  work  prospered,  members  be- 
ing added  almost  every  week.  The  Lord  frequently  mani- 
fested his  wisdom  and  power  in  their  behalf.  Once,  when  it 
was  necessary  to  confirm  the  persons  who  had  been  bap- 
tized   under    the    threatening   circumstances   at   Colesville 


NOT  OF  THE  WORLD  119 

which  we  have  just  given,  the  Prophet,  in  company  with  his 
brother  Hyrum,  and  John  and  David  Whitmer,  undertook 
to  perform  this  duty.  A  reward  of  five  dollars  had  been 
offered  any  one  who  would  give  information  of  the  arrival 
of  any  elders.  Nevertheless,  these  brethren  went  through 
the  town,  held  a  meeting,  at  which  those  who  had  been  bap- 
tized were  confirmed,  and  returned  to  their  homes,  without 
being  recognized  by  their  enemies  at  Colesville,  though  the 
latter  had  eyed  them  curiously  as  they  passed.  Afterwards 
the  Prophet  heard  that  his  enemies  had  been  informed, 
when  it  was  too  late,  of  the  visit  of  the  elders,  and  that  a 
mob  had  gathered,  annoying  the  brethren  all  the  next  day. 

During  this  time  two  conferences  of  the  Church  were 
held,  at  which  evidences  of  divine  favor  were  received  by 
the  faithful  Saints. 

The  first  was  held  on  the  9th  of  June.  There  were  pres- 
ent about  thirty  Saints,  besides  a  number  who  were  either 
believers  or  who  desired  to  learn  of  the  new  faith.  The 
sacrament  was  administered,*  some  persons  who  had  been 
recently  baptized  were  confirmed,  and  others  were  ordained 
to  the  priesthood.  The  Holy  Spirit  was  poured  out  upon 
the  Saints  in  a  miraculous  manner.  Some  prophesied  and 
others  saw  visions.  Newel  Knight  declared  that  he  saw  the 
future  of  the  great  work  which  the  Lord  was  establishing* 
on  the  earth,  and  that  he  beheld  Jesus  Christ  sitting  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  Father.  Some  of  the  Saints  who  were 
thus  under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  were  entirely  overcome 


*In  August,  1830,  at  Harmony,  while  the  Prophet  was  on  his: 
way  to  procure  some  wine  for  the  administration  of  the  sacrament, 
he  was  met  by  a  heavenly  messenger,  and  received  the  revelation 
recorded  in  section  twenty-seven  of  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  the 
first  four  paragraphs  of  which  authorized  the  use  of  water  instead  of 
wine ;  for  "it  mattereth  not  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink, 
when  ye  partake  of  the  sacrament,  if  so  be  that  ye  do  it  with  an  eye 
single  to  my  glory." 


120  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMON  ISM 

thereby  and  had  to  be  laid  upon  beds  or  couches  until  they 
recovered  their  natural  strength. 

Another  conference  was  held  at  Fayette  on  the  26th  of 
the  September  following,  which  continued  for  three  days. 
Here,  too,  the  sacrament  was  administered,  persons  previ- 
ously baptized  were  confirmed,  men  were  ordained  to  the 
priesthood,  and  other  matters  of  a  spiritual  nature  were  at- 
tended to.  It  was  at  this  conference  that  Hiram  Page  re- 
nounced the  "revelations"  he  had  received  through  his  curi- 
ous stone.  It  was  here,  too,  that  so  much  was  said  concern- 
ing the  work  among  the  Lamanites  as  to  cause  many  of  the 
brethren  to  inquire  more  closely  into  the  promises  of  the 
Lord  to  this  benighted  race.  "During  this  conference,"  the 
Prophet  writes,  "the  utmost  harmony  prevailed, and  all  things 
were  settled  satisfactorily  to  all  present  and  a  desire  was 
manifested  by  all  the  Saints  to  go  forward  and  labor  with 
all  their  powers  to  spread  the  great  and  glorious  principles 
of  truth,  which  had  been  revealed  by  our  heavenly  Father." 
A  number  were  converted  to  the  truth  at  this  conference. 

Thus  passed  away  the  year  1830.  We  have  no  means  of 
knowing  what  the  exact  membership  of  the  Church  was  at 
this  time,  but  it  had  grown  very  rapidly  since  the  sixth  day 
of  April.  Whether  in  sunshine  or  in  shower,  it  prospered 
marvelously,  and  the  new  year  "opened  with  a  prospect 
great  and  glorious  for  the  welfare  of  the  kingdom." 


PART  SECOND 

On  the  Banks  of  the  Ohio  and  the  Missouri 


CHAPTER  I 


THE  LAND  OF  SHINEHAH 


The  Mission  to  the  Lamanites. 

The  Book  of  Mormon  is  replete  with  predictions  of  great- 
ness to  come  upon  the  "remnant  of  the  House  of  Israel" 
when  the  record  of  their  forefathers  should  have  been  re- 
vealed to  the  Gentiles.  One  passage  declares  that  they  shall 
receive  the  Nephite  record  and  thus  learn  of  their  origin, 
that  through  this  and  other  means  "they  shall  come  to  a 
knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ"  and  the  great  work  of  human 
redemption,  and,  finally,  that  through  their  adherence  to  the 
gospel  they  shall  become,  before  many  generations  shall  have 
passed  away,  "a  white  and  delightsome  people."  Another 
goes  on  to  tell  in  the  most  glowing  terms,  how,  after  humili- 
ation and  oppression  at  the  hands  of  alien  nations,  their  an- 
cient power  and  glory  shall  come  upon  them,  and  they  shall 
stalk  in  the  midst  of  the  Gentiles  like  a  young  lion  among 
flocks  of  sheep,  treading  down  and  tearing  in  pieces,  whom 
none  can  deliver.  Another  prediction  assigns  to  the  Laman- 
ites a  prominent  part  in  the  building  of  the  New  Jerusalem. 
It  was  perfectly  natural,  therefore,  that  the  early  Saints 
should  conceive  an  interest  in  the  American  Indians  and  be 


122  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

eager  to  know  if  the  time  had  come  when  these  glorious  pre- 
dictions concerning  them  should  be  fulfilled.  The  first  inti- 
mation of  this  interest  that  we  have  any  record  of,  is  found 
at  the  time  when  a  conference  of  the  Church  was  held  at 
Fayette  in  September,  1830.  "Several  of  the  elders,"  re- 
marks the  Prophet,  in  referring  to  this  occasion,  "manifested 
a  great  desire  respecting  the  remnants  of  the  House  of 
Joseph,  the  Lamanites,  residing  in  the  West."  In  answer  to 
this  desire  came  the  revelation  contained  in  section  thirty- 
two  of  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  calling  Parley  P.  Pratt 
and  Ziba  Peterson  on  a  mission  "into  the  wilderness  among 
the  Lamanites."  Oliver  Cowdery  and  Peter  Whitmer,  Jr., 
had  already  been  called  to  this  same  mission. 

In  the  following  nionth  these  four  elders  began  their  west- 
ward journey,  traveling  on  foot.  Near  Buffalo  they  stopped 
to  preach  to  the  Catteraugus  Indians,  by  whom  they  were 
received  kindly  and  to  some  of  whom  they  presented  copies 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  Thence  they  proceeded  to  Ohio. 
At  Mentor,  a  small  town  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the 
State,  not  far  from  Kirtland,  they  found  Sidney  Rigdon  pre- 
siding over  a  congregation  of  Disciples.  Their  reason,  it 
seems,  for  going  to  Mentor  was  to  call  on  Mr.  Rigdon,  who 
was  known  to  Parley  P.  Pratt.  The  pastor  entertained  the 
young  missionaries  hospitably,  but  would  not  indulge  in  any 
argument  with  them  over  their  new  revelation,  which  he 
thought  altogether  superfluous,  seeing  that  the  Bible  con- 
tains the  word  of  God.  He  promised,  however,  carefully  to 
read  the  volume  presented  him, and  to  permit  them  to  preach 
to  his  congregation,  both  of  which  promises  were  fulfilled. 
At  the  conclusion  of  a  meeting  which  the  elders  afterwards 
held  in  his  chapel,  Rigdon  advised  his  flock  to  consider 
seriously  what  they  had  just  heard,  in  obedience  to  the  in- 
junction of  the  Scriptures  to  search  all  things  and  hold  fast 
that  which  is  good.     Subsequently,  after  having  read  the 


THE   LAND  OF   SHINEHAH  123 

Book  of  Mormon,  he  was  converted  and  baptized,  as  also 
were  many  of  his  congregation. 

At  Kirtland,  whither  the  missionaries  next  went,  and 
where  there  was  a  flourishing  branch  of  Disciples,  they  were 
equally  successful.  'The  people  thronged  us  night  and  day," 
writes  Parley  P.  Pratt  in  his  Autobiography,  "insomuch 
that  we  had  no  time  for  rest  or  retirement.  Meetings  were 
convened  in  different  neighborhoods,  and  multitudes  came 
together  soliciting  our  attendance;  while  thousands  flocked 
about  us  daily ;  some  to  be  taught,  some  for  curiosity,  some 
to  obey  the  gospel,  and  some  to  dispute  or  resist  it."  In  the 
course  of  the  two  or  three  weeks  that  they  remained  in  the 
vicinity,  they  baptized  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  per- 
sons, ordained  some  to  the  priesthood,  and  placed  them  in 
charge  of  the  converts.  Then  they  pursued  their  journey 
westward,  with  Dr.  Frederick  G.  Williams,  a  Kirtland  con- 
vert, added  to  their  number. 

About  fifty  miles  west  of  Kirtland  they  stopped  over 
night  at  the  home  of  a  Mr.  Simeon  Carter,  with  whom,  when 
they  departed,  they  left  a  copy  of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  Mr. 
Carter  soon  devoured  the  contents  of  the  strange  volume, 
and  believed  it  with  his  whole  heart.  He  desired  to  be  bap- 
tized, but  there  being  no  one  in  that  part  of  the  country  who 
belonged  to  the  Church,  he  went  to  Kirtland,  where  the 
ceremony  was  performed.  Returning  to  his  home,  after 
having  been  ordained  to  the  priesthood,  he  taught  the  gospel 
to  his  neighbors  and  brought  some  sixty  persons  into  the 
Church. 

The  missionaries,  after  leaving  Carter's,  continued  on 
towards  the  West ;  but  we  shall  postpone  our  consideration 
of  the  details  concerning  the  rest  of  their  journey  until  an- 
other chapter. 


124  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

The  Removal  to  Ohio. 

In  December  of  this  year  (1830),  Joseph  was  attending  a 
meeting  of  the  Saints  held  at  the  home  of  his  parents.  By 
this  time  they  had  moved  from  Manchester,  and  were  living 
at  a  place  called  Waterloo,  not  far  from  Fayette.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  Prophet's  discourse,  he  gave  anyone  who 
so  desired,  the  privilege  of  speaking.  A  stranger  arose.  He 
had  been,  he  said,  at  Manchester,  Joseph's  former  home,  to 
make  inquiries  concerning  the  Smith  family,  and  had  found 
them  to  have  had  a  good  reputation  in  the  neighborhood 
until  Joseph  proclaimed  his  visions.  He  added  that  he  had 
found  everything  about  the  Smith  farm  in  good  order,  which 
indicated  care  and  industry  on  the  part  of  the  owners.  These 
evidences  of  good  character  in  the  founder  of  "Mormonism," 
together  with  what  he  had  previously  learned  concerning 
the  revelations  to  the  Prophet,  had  made  an  impression  on 
him,  and  he  wished  to  be  baptized.  This  stranger  was  Ed- 
ward Patridge,*  whose  home  was  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  and 
who,  with  Sidney  Rigdon,  had  come  to  New  York  for  the 
purpose  of  meeting  the  Prophet  Joseph.  Soon  after  this, 
Mr.  Partridge  was  baptized  in  Seneca  River  near  by. 

While  the  brethren  were  staying  with  him,  Joseph  re- 
ceived a  revelation  concerning  each  of  them.  Edward  Part- 
ridge was  called  to  the  ministry  and  told  to  proclaim  the 
gospel  "with  a  loud  voice."  Respecting  this  man,  the 
Prophet  remarks  in  his  journal  that  he  was  "a  pattern  of 
piety,  and  one  of  the  Lord's  great  men."  Elsewhere  he  de- 
clares that  Edward  was  a  man  "without  guile."  Another 
revelation  (section  35)  was  given  through  Joseph  to  Sidney 


♦Philo  Dibble,  who  was  living  near  Kirtland  when  the  mission- 
aries came  to  Ohio,  says  that  Mr.  Partridge,  "a  man  who  would  not 
lie  for  his  right  arm,"  was  chosen  by  the  people  thereabouts  to  go 
to  Fayette  to  inquire  into  the  religion  which  the  "Mormon"  elders 
J  Ui  proclaimed,  and  also  into  the  character  of  the  Prophet.  (Nar~ 
i  *ve,  p.  77.) 


THE   LAND  OF   SHINEHAH  125 

Rigdon.  "Thou  art  blessed,"  said  the  Lord,  "for  thou  shalt 
do  great  things.  Behold  thou  wast  sent  forth,  even  as  John, 
to  prepare  the  way  before  me,  and  before  Elijah,  which 
should  come,  and  thou  knewest  it  not.  Thou  didst  baptize 
with  water  unto  repentance,  but  they  received  not  the  Holy 
Ghost."  He  was  instructed  to  "tarry"  with  Joseph  and  write 
for  him,  Oliver  Cowdery  being  on  his  journey  to  the  Laman- 
ites,  and  John  Whitmer  having  been  sent  to  take  charge  of 
the  Saints  at  Kirtland ;  and  was  promised  that  Joseph  should 
go  with  him  to  Ohio  when  he  returned  there.  It  should  be 
remarked  that  at  this  time  the  Prophet  had  undertaken  the 
work  of  revising,  by  inspiration,  the  Hebrew  Scriptures; 
and  it  was  for  the  purpose  of  writing  this  that  Sidney 
Rigdon  had  been  commanded  to  stay. 

The  promise  contained  in  the  revelation  to  Rigdon  that 
Joseph  should  accompany  him  to  Ohio,  is  the  first  intimation 
we  have  of  the  westward  movement  of  the  Church.  Short- 
ly after  this,  a  revelation  (section  37)  was  received  by  the 
Prophet  in  which  the  Saints  in  New  York  were  enjoined  to 
move  from  the  State.  "A  commandment  I  give  unto  the 
Church,"  said  the  Lord  in  this  revelation,  "that  it  is  expedi- 
ent in  me  that  they  should  assemble  together  "at  the  Ohio, 
against  the  time  that  my  servant  Oliver  Cowdery  shall  re- 
turn." Hence  from  this  time  on,  preparations  were  making 
for  the  removal.  The  Prophet  was  instructed  to  lay  aside 
the  work  of  revising  the  Bible  until  such  time  as  he  might 
take  it  up  again  in  his  new  home.  A  conference  of  the 
Church  was  held  at  Fayette,  at  which  all  necessary  instruc- 
tions were  given  the  Saints,  and  final  arrangements  made  for 
the  removal.  Hyrum  Smith  was  given  charge  of  the  branch 
over  which  Joseph  had  presided,  with  the  counsel  to  repair 
to  Kirtland  as  soon  as  he  could  do  so. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  following  January,  the  Prophet, 
in  company  with  others,  set  out  for  Ohio,  his  journey  having 


126  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

been  hastened  by  word  from  John  Whitmer  that  Joseph's 
presence  at  Kirtland  was  much  needed,  on  account  of  some 
false  spirits  that  had  manifested  themselves  at  the  meetings 
of  the  Saints  . 

"About  the  first  of  February,  1831,"  according  to  one 
account  of  the  Prophet's  arrival  at  his  destination,  "a  sleigh 
containing  four  persons,  drove  through  the  streets  at  Kirt- 
land and  drew  up  at  the  door  of  Gilbert  &  Whitney's  mer- 
cantile establishment.  The  occupants  of  the  vehicle  were 
evenly  divided  as  to  sex.  One  of  the  men,  a  young  and  stal- 
wart personage,  alighted,  and  springing  up  the  steps,  walked 
into  the  store  and  to  where  the  junior  partner  was  standing. 

"  'Newel  K.  Whitney !  Thou  art  the  man !'  he  exclaimed, 
extending  his  hand  cordially,  as  if  to  an  old  and  familiar 
acquaintance. 

"  'You  have  the  advantage  of  me,'  replied  the  one  ad- 
dressed, as  he  mechanically  took  the  proffered  hand — a  half- 
amused,  half-mystified  look  overspreading  his  countenance — 
'I  could  not  call  you  by  name  as  you  have  me.' 

"  T  am  Joseph  Smith,  the  Prophet,'  said  the  stranger  smil- 
ing, 'You've  prayed  me  here ;  now  what  do  you  want  of  me  ?' 

"Mr.  Whitney,  astonished  but  no  less  delighted,  as  soon  as 
his  surprise  would  permit,  conducted  the  party  across  the 
street  to  his  house  on  the  corner,  and  introduced  them  to  his 
wife.    She  shared  fully  his  surprise  and  ecstasy." 

"My  wife  and  I,"  declares  the  Prophet,  in  speaking  of 
their  stay  with  the  Whitneys.  "lived  in  the  family  of  Brother 
Whitney  several  weeks,  and  received  every  kindness  and  at- 
tention which  could  be  expected,  and  especially  from  Sister 
Whitney." 

Subsequently,  all  the  branches  of  the  Church  in  New 
Y'ork  removed  to  Ohio.  Lucy  Smith,  the  Prophet's  mother, 
relates  how  a  company  of  eighty  persons,  including  herself, 
came  from  the  region  of  Seneca  Lake  to  Kirtland,  traveling 


THE   LAND  OF  SHINEHAH  127 

mostly  by  water.  At  one  point  on  their  way,  they  overtook 
and  passed  two  other  companies  of  Saints,  going  like  them- 
selves to  the  new  home.  One  was  the  Colesville  branch, 
numbering  sixty  souls,  the  other,  under  the  direction  of 
Elder  Thomas  B.  Marsh,  comprising  thirty.  It  was  some  time 
in  the  spring  when  these  companies  reached  their  destination. 
Why  the  Church  Moved  IVestward. 

Various  explanations  have  been  offered  as  to  why  the  Church 
moved  westward  to  Ohio.  Some  anti-" Mormon"  writers 
would  have  us  believe  that  it  was  fear,  cowardice,  in  the 
Prophet  that  dictated  the  movement.  He  feared,  it  is  assert- 
ed, that  "Mormonism"  would  be  crushed,  before  it  could 
get  fairly  started,  amid  the  civilization  of  the  East,  and  so  he 
took  it  westward  where  the  population  was  thinner  and 
where  it  would  be  more  likely  to  find  toleration.  It  required 
darkness  and  ignorance  to  thrive  well !  But  those  who  make 
such  assertions  know  nothing  of  the  real  character  of  the 
great  founder  of  "Mormonism"  or  about  the  true  nature  of 
the  Church  he  established.  Few  men  have  exhibited  more 
courage,  physical  and  moral,  than  Joseph  Smith.  He  knew 
little  else,  during  the  brief  span  allotted  him  in  mortality, 
than  what  concerned  situations  calling  for  exceptional  cour- 
age. And  "Mormonism"  has  always,  from  the  beginning, 
challenged  investigation  and  the  light.  It  has  never  sought 
to  lurk  in  dark  places ;  it  has  never  fostered  ignorance.  It 
was  for  an  entirely  different  reason,  therefore,  that  "Mor- 
monism" forsook  the  crowded  marts  of  civilization  in  the 
East  for  freedom  and  the  open  country  in  the  West. 

Doubtless,  the  first  thing  that  turned  Joseph's  thoughts 
to  the  Ohio  country  was  the  success  which  the  Lamanite  mis- 
sion was  having  in  the  neighborhood  of  Kirtland ;  for  the 
missionaries  kept  him  constantly  informed  respecting  their 
labors.  In  two  or  three  weeks,  as  we  have  seen,  they  had  es- 
tablished a  branch  of  more  than  one  hundred  members ;  and, 


128  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

doubtless,  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  there  would  be 
more  members  of  the  Church  there  than  in  New  York  State. 
Then,  too,  in  December  came  Rigdon  and  Partridge,  who 
must  have  confirmed  in  the  Prophet  this  idea  of  the  future 
situation.  Added  to  this  was  the  indication  that  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Fayette  there  would  be  persecution.  Indeed  a  revela- 
tion pointed  out  the  dangers  from  this  direction.  Finally, 
the  word  of  the  Lord  was  received  directing  the  whole 
Church  to  remove  to  the  Ohio.  "A  commandment  I  give 
unto  the  Church,  that  they  should  assemble  together  at  the 
Ohio,  against  the  time  that  my  servant  Oliver  Cowdery 
shall  return.    Behold,  here  is  wisdom." 

That  there  was  profound  wisdom  in  this  command  we 
can  plainly  perceive,  who  live  in  the  days  when  so  much  has 
been  accomplished  in  the  great  West,  which  would  have  been 
impossible  under  conditions  that  the  Church  would  have 
found  in  the  crowded  East.  And  no  doubt  there  is  some 
truth  in  the  statement  that  "Mormonism"  could  not  have  de- 
veloped its  mission  in  New  York  State.  But  "fear"  was  no 
element  of  the  wisdom  that  dictated  the  policy.  The  modern 
Church  had  a  system  to  develop,  a  mission  to  fulfill,  prob- 
lems, temporal  and  spiritual,  to  solve.  It  was  not  in  haste  to 
avoid  civilization,  for  no  matter  how  far  west  it  came,  it  en- 
deavored constantly  to  carry  as  much  as  possible  of  that  civ- 
ilization with  it.  "Mormonism,"  in  the  course  of  its  prog- 
ress, has  touched  the  heart  of  the  great  questions  that  con- 
front the  modern  world,  questions  of  government,  of  society, 
of  labor  and  capital,  as  well  as  of  religion.  And  though  it 
has  not  yet  answered  them  fully  in  practical  life  it  has  gone 
farther  toward  that  end  than  it  could  have  done  under  any 
conditions  which  it  would  have  found  in  the  East,  and  far- 
ther, too,  than  any  other  religious  organization  in  the  world. 
"Mormonism,"  as  the  great  spiritual  world-power  of  the  fu- 
ture, expanded  in  proportion  as  it  came  in  touch  with  the  high 


THE   LAND  OF  SHINEHAH  129 

moutains  the  broad  plains,  and  the  free  atmosphere  of  the 
great  West.  And  the  movement  to  Ohio  was  but  the  first 
step  in  this  direction. 

The  Nezv  Home. 

Kirtland,  the  new  home  of  the  Saints,  is  situated  in  one  of  the 
loveliest  spots  in  all  northern  Ohio.  It  is  on  a  branch  of  the 
Chagrin.  "On  the  shores  of  the  river  and  its  streams  lie 
green  levels ;  from  these,  bluffs  rise  steeply  for  some  two  or 
three  hundred  feet  to  tablelands  of  great  fertility."  The 
highest  of  these  bluffs  was  destined  to  be  crowned,  five  years 
later,  by  the  first  temple  in  this  dispensation.  Twelve  or  fif- 
teen miles  to  the  southwest  was  what  subsequently  developed 
into  the  city  of  Cleveland.  Directly  north,  fifteen  miles,  was 
Painsville,  and  three  miles  north-west  was  Willoughby,  at 
present  the  nearest  railway  station.  And  beyond  all  these, 
toward  the  north,  might  be  seen,  of  a  sunny  day,  the  broad 
expanse  of  Lake  Erie  shimmering  in  the  distance.  In  1831 
Kirtland  contained  between  fifteen  hundred  and  two  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  though  today  this  number,  augmented  in 
that  year  by  the  influx  of  Saints  from  New  York  and  other 
places,  has  since  dwindled  to  fewer  than  two  hundred. 

Besides  Kirtland  there  were  several  other  towns  in  the 
neighborhood  in  which  we  shall  be  interested  as  we  pursue 
our  narrative.  Only  four  miles  directly  north  was  Mentor, 
the  home  of  Sidney  Rigdon.  Thompson,  where  the  Coles- 
ville  branch  was  subsequently  to  settle  in  a  body,  was  situat- 
ed about  eighteen  miles  in  a  northeasterly  direction.  The 
town  of  Hiram,  which  at  the  time  was  the  home  of  the 
Johnson  family,  lay  in  Portage  county,  twenty-five  or  thirty 
miles  southeast,  near  the  Cuyahoga  river.  In  addition  to 
these,  we  hear  in  this  stage  of  our  story,  of  Orange,  Cuy- 
ahoga county,  and  Amherst,  Loraine  county  where  confer- 
ences of  the  Church  were  held,  one  at  the  former  town  in 


130  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

October,  1831,  and  another  at  the  latter  place  in  January, 
1832. 

In  this  new  home  "Mormonism"  was  to  find  for  a  time, 
fertile  soil  and  a  congenial  atmosphere,  in  which  it  was  des- 
tined to  flourish  like  a  green  bay  tree,  by  reason  of  a  prepar- 
atory work  which  had  been  unconsciously  performed  there 
by  the  new  sect  of  the  Disciples. 

This  denomination  was  established  by  Alexander  Camp- 
bell, "a  man  of  extraordinary  talents,  and  distinguished  for 
his  readiness  in  debate,"  and  ably  assisted  in  this  region  by 
Walter  Scott  and  by  Sidney  Rigdon,  "the  great  orator  of  the 
Mahoning  Association."  Campbell  had  been  excluded,  in 
1827,  from  the  fellowship  of  the  Baptist  society  on  account  of 
some  differences  of  opinion,  and  subsequently  organized  a 
church  on  the  basis  of  principles  which  he  supposed  to  be 
more  in  harmony  with  the  Holy  Scriptures.  The  organiza- 
tion grew  very  rapidly,  especially  in  the  Western  Reserve. 
One  of  the  doctrines  advocated  by  the  new  sect  was,  that  the 
Scriptures  ought  to  be  interpreted  literally.  In  this  way  the 
minds  of  the  people  were  brought  back  to  the  Bible,  from 
which  they  had  strayed  into  labyrinths  of  human  dogmas. 
Another  doctrine  was,  that  immersion  was  the  only  correct 
form  of  baptism,  that  its  object  was  remission  of  sin,  and 
that  faith  and  repentance  were  prerequisites.  And  these 
teachings,  brought  home  to  the  hearts  and  hearths  of  the 
masses  by  such  talented  and  popular  preachers  as  Campbell, 
Scott,  and  Rigdon,  furnished  a  most  admirable  stepping 
stone  from  the  far-away  spiritualizings  of  the  generality  of 
Christian  sects  to  the  first  and  fundamental  principles  of 
"Mormonism;"  and  it  is  no  marvel  that  the  Church  drew 
such  a  large  following  from  the  Campbellite  organization. 

It  is,  therefore,  in  the  light  of  a  forerunner  to  the  great 
latter-day  work  that  this  and  other  such  religious  movements 
must  be  interpreted.    Those  among  the  Disciples,  comments 


THE  LAND  OF  SHINEHAH  131 

Elder  B.  H.  Roberts,  very  appropriately  in  this  connection, 
"who  have  rejected  the  fulness  of  the  gospel  when  it  was 
presented  to  them,  have  failed  to  understand  aright  the 
meaning  of  the  Campbell-Scott-Rigdon  reform  movement — 
they  have  failed  to  recognize  in  that  movement  merely  a 
preparation  for  the  incoming  of  the  fulness  of  the  gospel :" 
Sidney  Rigdon,  as  we  have  already  seen,  was  likened  to 
John  the  Baptist ;  and  doubtless  the  same  thing  was  true  of 
Campbell  and  others  who  aided  him,  only  they  were  unable 
to  see  the  fulness  of  the  light  when  it  appeared.  But  whether 
or  not  the  leaders  failed  to  do  this,  hundreds  of  their  fol- 
lowers were  put  in  a  position  by  this  church  to  receive  the 
gospel  when  it  was  taught  them. 

rA  Temporal  Movement. 

The  arrival  of  the  New  York  Saints  at  Kirtland  and  vicinity 
was  the  occasion  for  one  of  the  most  important  and  funda- 
mental temporal  movements  of  the  Church — the  "order  of 
Enoch,"  or  the  "united  order,"  which  was  revealed  and  es- 
tablished at  this  time. 

It  was,  of  course,  known  to  the  Saints  generally,  and  to 
the  Prophet  in  particular,  that  this  law  had  been  practiced  by 
the  people  of  God  in  other  times.  They  had  read,  no  doubt, 
that  the  disciples  of  Jesus,  after  the  Resurrection,  had  lfved 
according  to  this  temporal  law ;  for  it  is  written  that  "the 
multitude  of  them  that  believed  were  of  one  heart  and  of  one 
soul, — neither  said  any  of  them  that  ought  of  the  things 
which  he  possessed  was  his  own ;  but  they  had  all  things  in 
common."  Then,  too,  already  the  Prophet  had  brought  to 
light,  in  the  revision  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  which  was 
even  now  in  progress,  many  details  concerning  the  city  of 
Enoch,  in  which  the  united  order  reached  a  perfect  state. 
The  city  was  called  Zion  because  her  people  were  of  one 
heart  and  one  mind,  and  dwelt  in  righteousness ;   and  there 


132  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMON  ISM 

were  no  poor  among  them.  In  addition  to  all  this,  the  Saints 
had  doubtless  become  familiar  with  the  fact  that,  according 
to  the  Book  of  Mormon,  the  law  was  in  operation  among  the 
ancient  Nephites  for  fully  two  hundred  years.  Thirty-six 
years  after  Christ's  appearance,  "the  people  were  all  con- 
verted unto  the  Lord,  upon  all  the  face  of  the  land,  both 
Nephites  and  Lamanites,  and  there  were  no  more  conten- 
tions and  disputations  among  them,  and  every  man  did  deal 
justly  one  with  another;  and  they  had  all  things  common 
among  them,  therefore  they  were  not  rich  and  poor,  bond 
and  free,  but  they  were  all  made  free,  and  partakers  of  the 
heavenly  gift." 

But  it  was  not  the  fact  that  the  principle  had  been  ob- 
served by  the  people  of  the  Lord  in  ancient  times,  which  led 
to  its  adoption  in  these  days,  much  less  was  it  the  circum- 
stance that  a  small  branch  of  the  Campbellite  church  at 
Kirtland  had  endeavored  to  imitate  the  practice  of  the  New 
Testament  Saints,  in  what  was  commonly  known  in  the 
neighborhood  as  "the  family."  The  idea  came  as  a  revela- 
tion to  the  Prophet  "at  the  solicitation  of  Bishop  Partridge," 
who  wished  to  know  the  mind  of  the  Lord  respecting  the 
important  question,  then  pressing,  as  to  what  should  be 
done  for  the  temporal  welfare  of  the  newly  arrived  Saints 
from  New  York  State. 

The  controlling  ideas  of  this  "united  order"  are  both 
plain  and  simple.  The  key  note  is.  One  man  shall  not  possess 
that  which  is  above  another  in  temporal  affairs.  Everyone, 
whether  rich  or  poor,  is  to  "consecrate"  to  the  Church  all  his 
property,  real  and  personal,  "with  a  covenant  and  a  deed 
which  cannot  be  broken."  This  property,  in  case  of  apostasy, 
does  not  revert  to  him,  but  remains  in  the  possession  of  the 
Church.  Then  each  man  receives  from  the  agent  a  "stew- 
ardship" small  or  great  in  proportion  to  his  family,  his 
needs,  and  his  talent  to  manage.    This,  too,  is  to  be  given  by 


THE  LAND  OF  SHINEHAH  133 

covenant  and  deed,  and  this  he  has  claim  upon  in  case  he 
should  leave  the  Church.  "All  children  have  claim  upon 
their  parents  until  they  are  of  age.  And  after  that  they 
have  claim  upon  the  Church,  or  in  other  words  upon  the 
Lord's  storehouse,  if  their  parents  have  not  wherewith  to 
give  them  inheritances."  Each  branch  of  the  Church  where 
this  law  is  established  is  independent,  in  this  respect,  of 
every  other,  and  transacts  business  in  its  own  name.  What- 
ever accrues  from  each  stewardship,  over  and  above  the 
amount  necessary  for  the  family's  maintenance,  goes  into 
the  general  storehouse,  from  which  any  just  deficit  may  be 
made  up.  Thus  all  men  are  to  have  things  in  common  and 
to  deal  justly  one  with  another. 

The  order  was  first  established  among  the  Saints  of  the 
Colesville  branch,  who  were  temporarily  located  at  Thomp- 
son ;  and  the  organization  made  there  was  to  be  an  "ensam- 
ple"  to  all  the  other  branches.  Subsequently,  it  was  estab- 
lished at  Kirtland  and  Zion,  when  this  latter  place  was  made 
known  to  the  Saints.  But  on  account  of  the  selfish  propen- 
sities of  man  and  also  because  of  the  distressful  conditions 
under  which  it  was  practiced,  the  "order"  was  dissolved  and 
another,  and  less  perfect,  law  given.  This  inferior  law  (sec- 
tion 119)  was  tithing,  which  requires  one-tenth  of  one's  in- 
crease annually.  It  was  introduced  in  1838.  The  higher 
law,  however,  will  eventually  be  in  vogue  among  the  Saints ; 
for  the  Lord  has  declared  that  "Zion  cannot  be  built  up  un- 
less it  is  by  the  law  of  the  celestial  kingdom." 

"Mormonism"  thus  recognizes  the  perpetual  strife  be- 
tween selfishness  and  greed,  apparently  so  natural  in  man  in 
his  present  state,  and  the  law  which  requires  him  to  love  his 
neighbor,  even  his  enemy,  as  himself.  "The  love  of  money," 
the  apostle  declared  more  than  eighteen  centuries  ago,  "is  the 
root  of  all  evil,"  and  the  saying  is  as  true  today  as  when  it 
was  first  uttered.     Problems  arising  out  of  the  inequality  of 


134  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

men  in  a  material  way  have  always  challenged  the  best  pow- 
ers of  the  wisest  to  furnish  a  proper  solution.  In  no  age 
have  these  problems  been  so  terribly  emphasized  as  in  our 
own.  Scheme  after  scheme  has  been  devised  to  meet  the  evil, 
from  a  periodical  re-distribution  of  property  to  a  system  of 
community  of  goods,  such  as  "Mormon ism"  suggests.  But 
these  have  failed,  or  are  failing,  on  account  of  the  difficulty 
of  finding  a  motive  common  to  all.  Religion  furnishes  the 
only  motive  from  which  men  will  act  in  such  a  society,  and 
even  then  that  must  be  more  powerful  than  what  we  are  ac- 
customed to  see  in  modern  times.  Given  proper  conditions 
under  which  to  operate,  and  such  a  system  as  we  have  briefly 
outlined  above  would  contribute  more  than  anything  known 
to  men  towards  rectifying  social  evils  and  removing  obsta- 
cles in  the  way  of  man's  spiritual  progress. 


CHAPTER  II 

ZION PAST,  PRESENT,  AND  TO  COME 

Kirtland,  however,  was  not  the  only  place  to  which  the  Saints 
were  attached  during  this  second  period  in  the  history  of  the 
Church.  Zion,  in  Missouri,  shared  this  affection  with  the 
Ohio  town.  Indeed  it  seems  that  the  larger  interest  of  the 
Saints  during  most  of  this  time  lay  with  the  former;  for 
while  our  concern  in  Kirtland  has  gradually  diminished  till  it 
is  now  kept  alive  merely  by  the  events  which  happened  there, 
our  interest  in  Zion,  on  the  contrary,  has  proportionately  in- 
creased, not  only  because  of  its  greater  historical  importance, 
but  also  by  reason  of  what  is  to  take  place  there  in  the  future. 

The  Lamanite  Missionaries  . 

After  organizing  the  converts  at  Kirtland  into  branches 
writh  presiding  officers,  the  five  missionaries  to  the  Ameri- 
can Indians  proceeded  on  their  way  to  the  West.  Their 
journey  from  now  on  was  even  more  hazardous  than  they 
had  beed  led  to  expect.  It  was  in  the  dead  of  winter,  and  the 
snow  lay  heavy  on  the  ground.  Their  route  touched  San- 
dusky and  Cincinnati,  in  Ohio,  and  St.  Louis  and  St.  Charles, 
in  Missouri.  The  last  three  hundred  miles  led  them  over  a 
wild  and  desolate  prairie,  trackless  and  without  habitation 
save  for  an  occasional  hunter,  and  visited  frequently  by  the 
keen  north  wind.  They  traveled  the  entire  distance  on  foot, 
except  for  a  few  days'  ride  up  the  Ohio,  the  mouth  of  which 
they  found  impassable.  For  whole  days  together  they  made 
no  fire,  and  ate  nothing  but  raw  bacon  and  frozen  bread. 
Frequently  they  waded  through  snow  waist-deep ;  they  were 
wet  through  by  the  rains ;   nearly  always  they  were  cold  and 


136  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

worn  out  with  the  toils  of  the  day.  But  they  trudged  hero- 
ically on,  feeling  that  they  were  engaged  in  the  service  of 
truth.  Meanwhile,  they  had  been  proclaiming  the  gospel 
wherever  opportunity  presented,  in  private  and  in  public. 
We  have  seen  that,  fifty  miles  west  of  Kirtland,  their  labors 
resulted  in  the  establishment  of  a  branch  numbering  sixty 
souls.  At  Sandusky  the  missionaries  remained  several  days 
preaching  to  the  Wyandot  Indians ;  and  at  other  places 
where  they  stopped  they  had  many  conversations,  which 
afterwards  bore  some  excellent  fruit. 

Arrived  at  Independence,  Jackson  county,  Missouri,  their 
long-sought-for  "borders  by  the  Lamanites,"  two  of  their 
number  obtained  employment  in  the  town  as  tailors,  while 
Oliver  Cowdery  and  Parley  P.  Pratt  crossed  the  boundaries 
of  the  State  in  quest  of  the  Delawares.  By  the  chief  of 
these  Indians — an  aged  sachem  of  many  tribes — they  were 
received  with  kindness,  and  to  him  they  communicated  their 
message  of  peace.  After  some  hesitation  he  consented  to 
call  a  council  of  his  chief  men  that  they  might  listen  to  what 
the  brethren  had  to  say. 

Oliver  Cowdery  addressed  the  assembled  sages.  Pie  told 
them  how,  countless  moons  ago,  their  forefathers  came  from 
across  the  mighty  waters  under  the  guidance  of  the  Great 
Spirit ;  how,  for  many  generations,  they  dwelt  here,  till 
through  wickedness  the  white  portion  were  destroyed ;  how 
when  they  were  righteous,  a  great  Man  came  among  them 
and  taught  them  many  wise  things,  which  with  their  own 
history  they  wrote  down  in  a  book;  how  their  prophets  and 
other  holy  men  prayed  that  this  book  might  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  their  children  in  the  last  days ;  how  the  Great 
Spirit  promised  that  this  desire  should  be  gratified ;  how, 
later,  this  book  was  buried  in  a  hill  by  one  of  their  last 
prophets ;  how  an  angel,  the  same  person  who  had  hidden  the 
book,  came  to  a  young  boy  near  the  great  waters  and  gave 


ZION PAST,  PRESENT,  AND  TO  COME  137 

him  this  sacred  history  which  he  wrote  down  in  the  language 
of  the  pale  face ;  and,  finally,  how  these  five  missionaries 
had  come  many  hundred  miles,  through  deep  snows,  to  bring 
this  book  to  the  Delawares.  And  thereupon  the  inspired 
preacher  gave  them  a  copy  of  it,  with  instructions  to  read 
it  carefully  and  think  upon  its  sayings. 

The  sachem  thanked  the  men  for  the  interest  they  had 
manifested  in  him  and  his  tribes,  and  directed  them  to  a  Mr. 
Pool  for  their  entertainment  while  they  should  stay  in  the 
neighborhood.  Treated  very  kindly  by  Mr.  Pool,  they 
looked  forward  to  performing  much  good.  But  their  hopes 
were  suddenly  blighted  by  religious  jealously  and  bigotry; 
for  the  Indian  agent,  incited  by  sectarian  ministers,  ordered 
them  to  leave  the  territory  of  the  red  man  on  pain  of  prose- 
cution if  they  persisted  in  preaching  their  obnoxious  doc- 
trines to  the  Indians.  So  the  elders  took  their  departure  for 
Independence. 

Their  mission  to  the  Lamanites  being  thus  unexpectedly 
terminated,  the  elders  met  at  Independence  for  the  purpose 
of  determining  upon  their  next  step.  "It  was  now  the  14th 
of  February.  The  cold  north  wind  which  had  blown  for 
several  weeks,  accompanied  with  very  severe  weather,  had 
begun  to  give  place  to  a  milder  breeze  from  the  south ;  and 
the  deep  snows  were  fast  settling  down,  with  every  prospect 
of  returning  spring."  At  the  council  it  was  decided  that  one 
of  their  number  should  return  to  the  Church  in  Ohio,  per- 
haps to  headquarters  in  New  York,  in  order  to  communicate 
with  the  President,  report  their  labors,  pay  visits  to  the 
branches  of  the  Church  which  they  had  organized  on  their 
westward  journey,  and  to  obtain  more  books  for  their  further 
use  in  their  missionary  work.  The  duty  of  making  this  ardu- 
ous trip  fell  upon  Elder  Pratt.  Leaving  his  companions,  in 
the  latter  part  of  this  month  (February),  he  made  the  return 
journey,  encountering  many  difficulties,  and  being  delayed 


138  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

two  or  three  weeks  by  sickness.  Upon  reaching  Kirtland,  he 
discovered,  to  his  surprise,  that  the  branches  of  the  Church 
in  that  vicinity  had  increased  greatly  during  his  absence,  and 
that,  in  the  meantime,  the  headquarters  of  the  Church  had 
been  moved  thither  from  New  York. 

'Thus  ended  our  first  Indian  mission,"  wrote  Elder  Pratt, 
"in  which  we  had  preached  the  gospel  in  its  fulness,  and 
distributed  the  record  of  their  forefathers  among  three 
tribes,  viz.,  the  Catteraugus  Indians,  near  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  the 
Wyandots  of  Ohio  and  the  Delawares  of  Missouri.  We  trust 
that  at  some  future  day  when  the  servants  of  God  go  forth 
in  power  to  the  remnant  of  Joseph,  some  precious  seed  will 
be  found  growing  in  their  hearts,  which  was  sown  by  us  in 
that  early  day."  Viewed  from  one  standpoint,  this  mission 
had  signally  failed,  for  scarcely  anything  so  far  as  the  In- 
dians were  concerned,  ever  came  from  the  labors  of  these 
elders.  But  this  would  be  a  hasty  conclusion  if  no  other  view 
of  it  were  taken.  The  mission  had  accomplished  some  very 
remarkable  results.  Like  so  many  other  movements  in  early 
Church  history,  it  attained  objects  which  the  keenest  hu- 
man foresight  could  not  at  the  time  have  pointed  out.  If  the 
expectations  of  the  Saints  respecting  the  Lamanites  in  their 
conversation  to  the  truth,  were  not  realized,  this  mission 
might  at  least  claim  the  honor  of  having  opened  the  way  for 
the  westward  march  of  the  Church  in  the  work  performed 
at  Kirtland  and  at  Independence,  and  in  bringing  several 
hundreds,  and  ultimately  thousands,  of  people  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  gospel.  So  the  Indian  mission,  after  all,  was 
gloriously  successful,  though  not  exactly  in  the  direction 
marked  for  it  by  the  Saints. 

The  City  of  God. 

At  this  time  the  significance  that  attaches  to  the  land  of  Mis- 
souri had  not  been  revealed  to  the  Saints.    But  the  Lamanite 


ZION — PAST,  PRESENT,  AND  TO  COME  139 

mission  served  to  direct  attention  to  that  place,  and  from  this 
time  on  their  ideas  concerning  it  became  clearer  till  perma- 
nent settlements  were  established  there. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  the  Church  in  this  dispensa- 
tion, it  seems,  there  had  been  a  peculiar  charm  for  the  Saints 
in  the  terms  "Zion"  and  "New  Jerusalem."  To  these  their 
attention  was  first  awakened,  doubtless,  by  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon. For  in  this  sacred  volume  they  read  that  at  some  day 
future  to  the  time  when  the  book  was  written,  a  great  and 
magnificent  city,  called  the  New  Jerusalem,  should  be  built 
somewhere  on  this  continent,  "unto  the  remnant  of  the  seed 
of  Joseph"  and  unto  those  "whose  garments  are  white  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb."  And  they  were  confirmed  in  this  idea 
by  revelations  to  the  Prophet  Joseph.  As  early  as  Septem- 
ber, 1830,  the  Lord  announced  that  "the  city"  should  be  built 
"on  the  borders  by  the  Lamanites,"  to  which  place  these 
missionaries  had  been  called  to  labor  among  the  Indian  tribes 
From  this  time  till  July  of  the  following  year,  the  Saints 
were  made  familiar,  through  constant  repetition,  with  these 
sacred  names ;  and  we  may  imagine  how  their  interest  grew 
with  each  mention.  Up  to  this  time,  however,  it  is  not  likely 
that  they  attached  any  peculiar  importance  to  Missouri. 
About  the  same  time  they  were  informed  in  a  revelation  to 
Joseph  that  the  exact  location  should  be  pointed  out. 

Nor  wras  his  anticipation  likely  to  be  diminished  by  the 
glowing  descriptions  which  they  must  have  read  in  the  Scrp- 
tures,  Flebrew  and  Nephite,  of  the  city,  and  also  of  the  tem- 
ple that  was  to  be  built  therein.  The  city  should  lie  four- 
square. Its  public  buildings  and  private  residences  should  be 
magnificent  beyond  anything  else  among  men.  The  kings  of 
the  earth  were  to  bring  their  glory  into  it,  and  there  should 
"in  no  wise  enter  it  anything  unclean.  The  glory  of  Lebanon 
should  be  brought  to  it,  the  fir  tree,  the  pine  tree,  and  the 
box  together,  to  beautify  the  place  of  his  sanctuary.     For 


140  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

brass  there  should  be  gold  ;  for  iron,  silver,  for  wood,  brass ; 
and  for  stones,  iron.  It  should  be  a  land  of  peace,  a  city  of 
refuge,  a  place  of  safety.  The  glory  and  the  terror  of  the 
Lord  should  dwell  there.  The  wicked  should  say :  "Let  us 
not  go  up  against  Zion,  for  her  inhabitants  are  terrible  !"  The 
redeemed  of  the  Lord  should  enter  her  gates  with  songs  of 
everlasting  joy.  Joy  and  gladness  should  be  found  therein, 
thanksgiving  and  the  voice  of  melody.  It  should  have  no 
need  of  the  sun,  neither  of  the  moon,  to  shine  upon  it ;  for 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  should  light  it,  and  the  lamp  thereof 
should  be  the  Lamb.  And  the  nations  should  walk  in  the 
midst  of  her  light  forevermore.  The  temple,  too,  should  be 
worthy  of  such  a  place.  Standing  in  the  center  of  the  city,  it 
should  focus  all  this  glory  and  splendor.  Only  skilled  work- 
men, inspired  of  heaven,  should  lay  their  hands  upon  it ;  its 
ornaments  should  be  of  gold,  silver,  and  the  most  precious 
stones ;  its  summit  should  be  crowned  by  day  with  a  cloud 
and  by  night  with  a  pillar  of  fire.  The  whole  scene  was  to  be 
one  of  ineffable  grandeur  and  divine  magnificance,  not  to  be 
conceived  by  the  uninspired  mind.  No  wonder  the  Saints 
were  thrown  into  transports  of  joy  in  the  mere  contempla- 
tion. 

It  was  early  in  June,  1831,  after  a  conference  at  Kirt- 
land,  that  Joseph  received  a  revelation  appointing  the  next 
conference  in  Missouri.  There,  said  the  Lord,  you  shall 
learn  about  "the  land  of  your  inheritance."  Twenty-eight 
missionaries  (section  53)  were  called  to  preach  to  the  peo- 
ple west  of  Ohio,  "baptizing  by  water,  and  laying  on  hands 
by  the  water's  side."  They  were  all  to  meet  in  Missouri. 
Soon  after  this,  the  missionares  set  out  on  their  journey, 
Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon,  Martin  Harris,  Edward  Part- 
ridge, Joseph  Coe,  and  A.  S.  Gilbert  and  wife  going  to- 
gether via  Cincinnati  and  St.  Louis,  the  others  traveling 
two  by  two  preaching  by  the  way.     They  arrived  at  Inde- 


ZION — PAST,  PRESENT,  AND  TO  COME  141 

pendence  about  the  middle  of  July.  The  Prophet  has  re- 
corded the  joyful  meeting,  not  only  with  those  who  had  ar- 
rived severally  from  Kirtland,  but  also,  and  especially,  with 
those  who  formed  the  Lamanite  mission  and  who,  except 
Elder  Pratt,  had  remained  in  Missouri  ever  since  their  ar- 
rival early  in  the  year.  In  a  short  time  afterwards  the 
Colesville  branch,  which  had  been  temporarily  located  at 
Thompson,  Ohio,  arrived  at  Kaw  township,  twelve  miles 
west  of  Independence.  The  number  of  Saints  now  at  Mis- 
souri, therefore,  was  between  ninety  and  one  hundred. 

Not  long  after  the  arrival  of  the  brethren  at  Independ- 
ence, the  Prophet  received  a  revelation  (section  57)  in  which 
the  location  of  Zion  was  made  known.  Missouri  was  desig- 
nated as  the  land  which  the  Lord  had  consecrated  as  the 
gathering  point  of  the  Saints  in  the  last  days.  'This  is  the 
land  of  promise,"  declared  the  revelation,  "and  the  place  for 
the  city  of  Zion.  Independence  is  the  centre,  and  the  spot 
for  the  temple  is  lying  westward,  upon  a  lot  which  is  not  far 
from  the  court  house."  The  revelation  goes  on  to  give  in- 
structions concerning  the  manner  of  settling  Zion.  The  land 
should  be  purchased  "even  unto  the  line  running  directly  be- 
tween Jew  and  Gentile."  The  law  of  consecration,  thereto- 
fore revealed,  was  to  be  in  vogue.  Sidney  Gilbert  was  ap- 
pointed "to  receive  moneys  to  be  an  agent  unto  the  Church 
to  buy  land  in  all  the  regions  round  about,"  to  the  extent  of 
the  people's  ability,  and  as  wisdom  should  direct.  Edward 
Partridge  was  to  "divide  unto  the  Saints  their  inheritance." 
A  storehouse  was  to  be  kept,  where  goods  might  be  sold 
"without  fraud,"  the  profits  of  which  were  to  be  used  in  buy- 
ing land.  Finally,  a  printing  office  was  to  be  established, 
with  William  W.  Phelps  and  Oliver  Cowdery  in  charge. 

Zion  as  it  7vas  and  zvill  be. 

The  land  which  these  brethren  looked  upon  and  which  was 


142  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

destined  to  occupy  so  much  attention  on  the  part  of  the 
Saints,  was  very  remarkable  in  many  ways. 

If  was  at  the  time  a  new  country,  only  recently  released 
from  Indian  ownership,  situated  on  the  frontiers  of  the 
Union,  "a  promontory  of  civilization  into  an  ocean  of  sav- 
agery/' The  western  parts  of  the  State  were  sparsely  inhab- 
ited; Jackson  county,  in  1830,  had  a  population  of  only  a 
trifle  more  than  twenty-eight  hundred  as  compared  with 
something  less  than  two  hundred  thousand  in  1900.  "The 
white  settler's  house  was  a  log  hut,  generally  with  a  dirt 
floor,  a  mud  plastered  chimney,  and  a  window  without  glass, 
a  board  or  quilt  serving  to  close  it  in  time  of  storm  or  severe 
cold.  A  fireplace,  with  a  skillet  and  kettle,  supplied  the  place 
of  a  well-equipped  stove.  Corn  was  the  principal  grain  food, 
and  wild  game  supplied  most  of  the  meat.  The  wild  anmials 
furnished  clothing  as  well  as  food ;  for  the  pioneers  could 
not  afford  to  pay  from  15  to  25  cents  a  yard  for  calico,  and 
from  25  to  75  cents  for  gingham.  Some  persons  indulged  in 
homespun  cloth  for  Sunday  and  festal  occasions,  but  the 
common  outside  garments  were  made  or  dressed  deerskins. 
Parley  P.  Pratt,  in  his  autobiography,  speaks  of  passing 
through  a  settlement  where  some  families  were  entirely 
dressed  in  skins,  without  any  other  clothing,  including  la- 
dies, young  and  old." 

Jackson  county  is  centrally  located  with  respect  both  to 
the  United  States  and  to  the  American  continent.  It  was 
described  at  the  time  as  an  extensive  and  beautiful  rolling 
prairie,  spreading  out  like  a  billowy  sea  of  meadows,  and 
decorated  with  flowers  of  every  hue  and  variety.  It  was  di- 
vided, here  and  there,  by  streams  of  water,  fringed  with 
strips  of  timber  from  one  to  three  miles  in  width,  and 
comprising  oak,  hickory,  black  walnut,  elme,  ash,  cherry, 
honey,  box-elder,  cottonwood,  butterwood,  pecan,  hard  and 
soft  maple.     The  soil,  which  is  from  three  to  ten  feet  deep 


ZION — PAST,  PRESENT,  AND  TO  COME  143 

and  of  a  rich  black  mould,  is  exceedingly  fertile,  and  pro- 
duces in  abundance  not  only  wheat,  corn,  and  many  other 
hardy  products,  but  also  several  varieties  of  fruit  and  vege- 
tables requiring  a  warmer  climate  such  as  tobacco,  flax„ 
sweet  potatoes,  peaches,  and  grapes.  Wild  game — buffalo, 
elk,  deer,  bear,  wolves,  beaver  and  many  varieties  of  fowl — 
abounded  at  the  time  in  the  uninhabited  parts.  The  climater 
as  may  be  inferred  from  this,  is  mild  and  delightful  during 
three-fourths  of  the  year. 

In  June,  1833,  to  anticipate  our  narrative  a  period  of 
nearly  two  years,  the  Prophet  sent  the  presiding  officers  in 
Missouri  "an  explanation  of  the  plot  of  the  city  of  Zion."" 
The  following  description,  based,  of  course,  on  this  explana- 
tion, is  taken  from  Elder  B.  H.  Robert's  excellent  account 
in  his  Missouri  Persecutions,  with  which,  however,  I  have 
taken  some  liberties.  The  city  plat  is  one  mile  square,  di~ 
vided  into  blocks  containing  ten  acres  each,  except  the  mid- 
dle range  of  blocks  running  north  and  south,  which  will  con- 
tain fifteen  acres.  The  streets  will  be  eight  rods  wide,  inter- 
secting each  other  at  right  angles.  A  tier  of  blocks  of  forty 
by  sixty  rods  will  be  reserved  for  public  buildings,  temples,, 
tabernacles,  school  houses,  etc.  All  the  other  blocks  will  be 
divided  into  half-acre  lots,  with  a  four-rod  front  to  every 
lot,  and  extending  back  twenty  rods.  In  one  block  the  lots 
will  run  north  and  south,  and  in  the  next  one  east  and  west, 
and  so  alternately  throughout  the  city,  except  in  the  range 
of  blocks  reserved  for  public  buildings.  By  this  arrange- 
ment no  street  will  be  built  on  entirely  through  the  city,  but 
on  one  block  the  houses  will  stand  on  one  street,  and  on  the 
next  one  on  another  street.  All  of  the  houses  are  to  be  built 
of  brick  or  stone,  and  but  one  house  on  a  lot,  which  is  to 
stand  twenty-five  feet  back  from  the  street,  the  space  in  front 
being  for  lawns,  ornamental  trees,  shrubbery,  and  flowers, 
according  to  the  taste  of  the  owners ;  the  rest  of  the  lot  will 


144  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

be  for  gardens,  etc.  It  is  supposed  that  such  a  plat  when 
built  up  will  contain  fifteen  or  twenty  thousand  inhabitants, 
and  that  they  will  require  twenty-four  buildings  to  supply 
them  with  houses  for  public  worship  and  schools.  These 
buildings  will  be  temples,  none  of  which  will  be  less  than 
eighty-seven  feet  by  sixty-one,  and  two  stories  high,  each 
story  to  be  fourteen  feet,  making  the  building  twenty-eight 
feet  to  the  square.  Lands  on  the  north  and  south  of  the  city 
will  be  laid  off  for  barns  and  stables  for  the  use  of  the  city ; 
so  there  will  be  no  barns  or  stables  in  the  city  among  the 
homes  of  the  people.  Lands  for  the  agriculturist  are  also  to 
be  laid  off  on  the  north  and  south  of  the  city,  but  if  sufficient 
land  cannot  be  laid  off  without  going  too  great  a  distance, 
then  farms  are  to  be  laid  off  on  the  east  and  west  also ;  but 
the  tiller  of  the  soil  as  well  as  the  merchant  and  mechanic 
will  live  in  the  city.  The  farmer  and  his  family,  therefore, 
will  enjoy  all  the  advantages  of  schools,  public  lectures,  and 
other  meetings.  His  home  will  no  longer  be  isolated,  and 
his  family  denied  the  benefits  of  society,  which  has  been,  and 
always  will  be,  the  great  educator  of  the  human  race;  but 
they  will  enjoy  the  same  privileges  of  society,  and  can  sur- 
round their  homes  with  as  much  refinement  as  will  be  found 
in  the  home  of  the  merchant  or  the  banker. 

"When  this  square  is  thus  laid  off  and  supplied,"  said 
the  Prophet,  "lay  off  another  in  the  same  way,  and  so  fill  up 
the  world  in  these  last  days ;  and  let  every  man  live  in  the 
city,  for  this  is  the  city  of  Zion." 

Zion  Dedicated  and  Settled. 

"On  the  second  day  of  August,"  says  the  Prophet  in  his 
journal,  "I  assisted  the  Colesville  branch  of  the  Church  to 
lay  the  first  log,  as  a  foundation  of  Zion."  The  log  was 
placed  by  twelve  men  "in  honor  of  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel."     At  the  same  time  the  land  of  Zion  was  dedicated 


ZION PAST,  PRESENT,  AND  TO  COME  145 

by  Sidney  Rigdon.  Elder  Rigdon  stood  up  and  asked  those 
present  at  the  ceremonies: 

"Do  you  receive  this  land  for  the  land  of  your  inheritance, 
with  thankful  hearts,  from  the  Lord?" 

"We  do,"  was  the  answer  from  all. 

"Do  you  pledge  yourselves  to  keep  the  law  of  God  on 
this  land,  which  you  never  have  kept  in  your  own  land?" 

"We  do." 

"Do  you  pledge  yourselves  to  see  that  others  of  your 
brethren  who  shall  come  hither  do  keep  the  laws  of  God?" 

"We  do." 

After  prayer  he  arose  and  said,  "I  now  pronounce  this 
land  consecrated  and  dediacted  unto  the  Lord  for  a  posses- 
sion and  inheritance  for  the  Saints,  and  for  all  the  faithful 
servants  of  the  Lord  to  the  remotest  ages  of  time,  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  having  authority  from  him.    Amen." 

On  the  following  day  the  temple  site  was  dedicated  by 
Joseph  himself,  in  the  presence  of  a  number  of  the  brethren 
who  had  come  with  him.  The  87th  Psalm  was  read,  the  en- 
tire ceremony  being  very  impressive.  The  next  day  the  first 
conference  in  the  land  of  Zion  convened  at  the  house  of 
Joshua  Lewis,  in  Kaw  township,  where  the  Colesville  Saints 
had  settled.  A  few  days  after  this  the  Prophet  received  two 
revelations  (sections  59  and  60),  in  the  former  of  which 
some  fundamental  laws  were  given  for  the  government  of 
the  Saints,  and  in  the  latter  some  of  the  brethren  were  told 
to  remain  in  Zion  and  others  to  return  to  their  homes.  On 
August  9th  the  Prophet  and  others  started  for  Kirtland. 
arriving  there  on  the  twenty-seventh. 

From  the  summer  of  1831  to  that  of  1833,  the  Saints 
continued  to  gather  to  Zion,  till  by  this  latter  date  there  were 
about  twelve  hundred  in  Jackson  county.  There  were  settle- 
ments at  Independence,  at  Kaw  township,  and  on  the  Big 
Bine,  besides  others  whose  exact  location  is  not  certain.  The 


146  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

first  settlers,  having  come  there  so  late  in  the  year,  were  un- 
able to  put  in  crops,  and  in  consequence  they  suffered  more 
or  less  hardship  during  the  succeeding  winter  and  spring. 
But  after  that  they  got  along  much  better,  because,  being  in- 
dustrious, they  planted  crops  and  reaped  a  good  harvest. 
Meantime,  they  bought  land,  built  houses,  and  improved 
their  surroundings  till  there  appeared  evidences  of  pros- 
perity on  every  hand.  A  printing  press  was  established,  and 
a  Church  publication  begun,  The  Evening  and  Morning  Star, 
and  a  school  for  the  elders  organized  under  the  direction  of 
Parley  P.  Pratt.  'They  lived  in  peace  and  quiet;  no  law- 
suits with  each  other  or  with  the  world;  few  or  no  debts 
were  contracted;  few  promises  broken;  there  were  no 
thieves,  robbers  or  murderers ;  few  or  no  idlers ;  all  seeemd 
to  worship  God  with  a  ready  heart.  On  Sundays  the  people 
assembled  to  preach,  pray,  sing,  and  receive  the  ordinances 
of  God.  Other  days  all  seemed  busy  in  the  various  pursuits 
of  industry.  In  short,  there  has  seldom,  if  ever,  been  a 
happier  people  upon  the  earth  than  the  Church  of  the  Saints 
were,"  in   1833. 

The  Saints  and  their  New  Neighbors. 

In  view  of  the  difficulties  which  arose  later  between  the 
Saints  and  the  old  settlers,  and  which  we  shall  speak  of  in 
another  chapter,  it  is  important  that  we  obtain  a  correct  esti- 
mate of  the  character  of  these  two  classes.  And  this  is  the 
more  necessary  because  of  the  efforts  on  the  part  of  so  many 
non-" Mormon"  writers  on  the  subject  to  have  their  readers 
believe  that  the  Saints  in  these  troubles  were  always  the  of- 
fenders, and  that  the  rest  of  the  population  were  only  acting 
in  self-defense  when  they  expelled  the  "Mormons"  from  the 
county.  Anyone  who  will  impartially  consider  the  elements 
of  difference  between  the  Jackson  county  people  and  the 
"Mormons"  will  be  forced  to  admit  that  something  like  the 


ZION PAST,  PRESENT,  AND  TO  COME  147 

conflict  which  subsequently  took  place  was  inevitable ;  and 
the  actual  facts  in  the  quarrel  will  show  that  the  first  inhab- 
itants were  not  acting  on  the  defense,  either. 

Kirst  of  all,  there  was  a  difference  in  their  habits,  mode 
of  life,  and  customs  generally.  The  Missourians  were  most- 
ly from  the  Southern  States,  while  the  Saints  came,  for  the 
most  part,  from  New  England  and  the  North.  Hence,  the 
former  believed  in,  and  to  the  extent  of  their  power,  prac- 
ticed slavery;  the  latter  very  naturally  entertained  different 
notions  respecting  slavery,  though  they  had  not  expressed 
their  views  on  the  subject.  This  fact  meant  also  that  while 
the  old  residents  of  Missouri  were  accustomed  largely  to 
have  their  work  done  by  slaves,  the  "Mormons"  were  in  the 
habit  of  doing  their  work  themselves ;  and  this  difference 
would  have  the  natural  effect  of  establishing  thrift  and  in- 
dustry in  the  latter,  and  in  the  former  of  encouraging  in- 
dolent habits,  sometimes  downright  laziness.  Whatever 
may  be  said  of  the  poverty  of  the  Saints  in  Missouri  at 
this  time,  they  were  certainly  as  a  class  more  industrious 
than  the  majority  of  the  population  which  they  found  there. 
The  Prophet  declared  that  the  Missourians  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty possessed  a  "leanness  of  intellect,"  and  that  they  were  "a 
century  behind  the  times."  The  contrast,  he  remarks,  be- 
tween the  East  and  this  part  of  the  West,  was  very  great. 
Colonel  Thomas  L.  Kane,  in  1846,  characterized  the  border 
inhabitants  of  Western  Missouri  and  Iowa  "the  vile  scum 
which  our  own  society,  like  the  great  ocean,  washes  upon 
its  frontiers ;"  and  expresses  the  gratification  he  felt  on 
reaching  the  "Mormon"  camps,  then  in  Council  Bluffs,  on 
their  way  to  Salt  Lake  Valley,  and  "associating  again  with 
persons  who  were  almost  all  of  Eastern  American  origin — 
persons  of  refined  habits  and  decent  language."  The  old 
settlers  lived  mostly  along  the  water  courses,  for  they  imag- 
ined that  the  prairie  was  unfit  for  cultivation.    Though  there 


148.  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

were  thrifty,  intelligent,  and  religious  men  and  women  in 
this  part  of  Missouri,  it  is  nevertheless  an  undeniable  fact 
that  no  small  portion  of  the  population  was  made  up  of 
the  lazy,  the  ignorant,  the  irreligious,  and  the  criminal.  The 
State  being  the  extreme  western  limits  of  the  United  States, 
much  of  the  criminal  element  escaped  thither  from  the  East, 
in  the  hope  of  evading  the  law  by  coming  to  Missouri, 
where,  at  a  moment's  warning,  they  might  escape  across 
the  boundaries  beyond  the  reach  of  pursuing  officials.  Then, 
there  were  negroes  who  had  run  away  from  their  masters, 
bankrupt  politicians,  not  only  in  purse  but  also  in  character, 
and  sectarian  missionaries  of  various  denominations  seeking 
to  instil  their  peculiar  tenets  into  the  Indian  and  the  pioneer 
mind.  It  may  seem  strange  to  some  that  the  last  class 
should  be  counted  as  one  of  the  inharmonious  and  disturbing 
elements  in  this  motly  community;  but  wherever  any  diffi- 
culties occur  between  "Mormons"  and  non-"Mormons"  it 
will  usually  be  found  that  narrow-minded  sectarian  preach- 
ers are  at  the  bottom  of  them. 

The  Saints,  on  the  contrary,  were  very  similar  to  one  an- 
other in  character.  They  came  from  pretty  much  the  same 
locality ;  they  had  much  in  common,  not  only  in  a  spiritual, 
but  in  a  material  way.  No  doubt  some  of  them  were  igno- 
rant, and  most  of  them  were  doubtless  very  poor ;  but  there 
were  in  the  "Mormon"  settlements  persons  of  ability  and 
learning.  They  were  industrious,  moreover,  and  had  none 
of  the  criminal  element  among  them.  That  they  were  a  com- 
munity of  workers  is  evident  from  the  difference  that  soon 
manifested  itself  between  the  appearance  of  their  settlements, 
of  only  a  few  months'  standing,  and  that  of  neighboring 
towns,  which  had  been  years  in  the  building.  And  their 
freedom  from  offenders  against  the  law  is  evident  not  only 
from  the  fact  that  when  trouble  broke  out  between  them  and 
the  Missourians  the  latter  admitted  that  the  law  could  not  be 


ZION — PAST,  PRESENT,  AND  TO  COME  149 

applied  to  the  "Mormons,"  but  also  from  the  fact  that  not  a 
single  "Mormon"  had  been  arrested  or  punished  for  viola- 
tion of  the  law.  Such  were  the  differences  between  the  Lat- 
ter-day Saints  and  the  older  settlers  in  Missouri  so  far  as 
their  general  character  and  modes  of  living  were  concerned. 

But  there  were  two  other  differences,  one  growing  out  of 
politics,  and  the  other  out  of  religion.  It  was  soon  found 
that  the  Saints  kept  pretty  much  to  themselves,  that  they 
laid  aside  their  work  on  the  Sabbath  and  went  to  meeting, 
and  that  at  election  they  voted  more  or  less  together.  This 
latter  fact  gave  rise  to  all  kinds  of  apprehension  on  the  part 
of  the  Missourians  in  Jackson  county,  lest  if  the  "Mormon" 
population  continued  to  increase,  they  would  in  time  either 
control  political  affairs  or  make  it  necessary  for  the  old  set- 
tlers to  move  elsewhere.  The  first  alternative  was  made  the 
more  disquieting  from  the  numerous  peculiarities  of  the  re- 
ligion professed  by  the  new  comers.  They  believed,  for  in- 
stance, in  continued  revelation,  in  visions,  in  miracles,  and, 
most  of  all,  they  contended  that  they  were  the  elect  and  that 
the  other  churches  were  wrong. 

All  these  differences  between  these  two  elements  in  Jack- 
son county  made  it  inevitable  that  some  day  there  would 
be  an  open  rupture  between  them. 


CHAPTER  III 

AS  THE  STARS  DIFFER 

It  is  a  curious  fact  in  the  history  of  the  Church  that  the 
Prophet  Joseph  nearly  all  his  life  was  engaged  in  some  in- 
spired literary  undertaking.  From  1827  to  1829  he  was  at 
work  on  the  translation  of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  *As  soon 
as  that  duty  was  performed  and  the  book  published  to  the 
world,  he  entered  upon  the  task  of  revising  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures,  which  occupied  his  attention  till  the  year  1833. 
Finally,  in  1837,  there  fell  into  his  hands  some  rolls  of 
Egyptian  papyrus  the  translation  of  which  rilled  up  his  spare 
moments  for  a  number  of  years.  All  this  labor  of  revision 
and  translation,  however,  even  that  of  the  Nephite  Scrip- 
tures, was  more  incidental  in  its  character  than  we  have 
been  accustomed  to  believe — incidental,  that  is,  to  the  enun- 
ciation of  the  great  truths  which  it  was  instrumental  in 
bringing  to  light. 

Plain  and  Precious  Things. 

Probably  the  occasion  for  the  inspired  revision  of  the  Bible 
arose  out  of  some  passages  in  the  Book  of  Mormon  in  refer- 
ence to  the  book  that  "proceeded  forth  from  the  mouth  of  a 
Jew."  Speaking  of  the  time  when  the  "great  and  abominable 
church"  held  sway  over  the  human  mind,  the  Nephite  rec- 
ord declares  prophetically  that  this  church  had  "taken  away 
from  the  gospel  of  the  Lamb  many  parts  which  are  plain 
and  most  precious ;  and  also  many  covenants,"  and  that  this 
was  done  in  order  to  "pervert  the  right  ways  of  the  Lord," 
by  blinding  men's  eyes  and  hardening  their  hearts.     In  con- 


AS  THE  STARS  DIFFER  151 

sequence  of  this  tampering  with  the  word  of  God,  "an  ex- 
ceeding great  many  do  stumble,  insomuch  that  Satan  hath 
great  power  over  them."  But  this  work  of  revising  the 
Bible  was  also  in  harmony  with  the  great  mission  imposed 
upon  the  Prophet  Joseph,  and  was  part,  though  perhaps  a 
comparatively  insignificant  part  of  his  work  as  Restorer. 

Why  did  the  Prophet  undertake  this  revision  ?  Two  rea- 
sons might  be  given. 

In  the  first  place  errors  have  crept  into  the  text  of  the 
Scriptures  through  the  numerous  copies  and  translations 
that  have  been  made  from  the  first.  The  Old  Testament  was 
originally  written  in  Hebrew,  and  the  New  in  Greek.  These 
writings  were  all,  of  course,  in  manuscript  form,  written  by 
the  hand;  and  when  copies  were  needed  each  "had  to  be 
written  out,  letter  by  letter,  at  great  expense  of  time  and 
trouble,  and  unfortunately  very  often  at  some  expense  of 
the  original  correctness."  In  speaking  of  the  probability 
of  such  errors  in  these  transcriptions,  J.  Patterson  Smyth, 
an  English  scholar,  remarks :  "However  careful  the  scribe 
might  be,  it  was  almost  impossible  in  copying  a  long  and 
difficult  manuscript  to  prevent  the  occurrence  of  errors. 
Sometimes  he  would  mistake  one  letter  for  another,  some- 
times, if  having  the  manuscript  read  to  him,  he  would  con- 
found two  words  of  similar  sound ;  sometimes,  after  writing 
in  the  last  word  of  a  line,  on  looking  up  again  his  eye  would 
catch  the  same  word  at  the  end  of  the  next  line,  and  he 
would  go  on  from  that,  omitting  the  whole  line  between. 
Remarks  and  explanations,  too,  written  in  the  margin  might 
sometimes  in  transcribing  get  inserted  in  the  text.  In  these 
and  various  other  ways  errors  might  creep  into  the  copy  of 
his  manuscript.  These  errors  would  be  repeated  by  the 
man  that  afterward  copied  from  this,  who  would  also  some- 
times add  other  errors  of  his  own.  So  that  it  is  evident, 
as  copies  increased,  the  errors  would  be  likely  to  increase 


152  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

with  them."  That  this  danger  was  always  imminent  is  evi- 
dent from  what  Irenaeus,  Bishop  of  Lyons,  in  the  second 
century,  wrote  in  one  of  his  books.  "I  charge  thee,"  he  de- 
clares to  whosoever  might  copy  his  work,  "with  an  oath  by 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  that  thou  carefully  compare  what 
thou  has  transcribed,  and  correct  it  according  to  this  copy, 
whence  thou  hast  transcribed  it,  and  thou  transcribe  this 
oath  in  like  manner,  and  place  it  in  thy  copy."  No  doubt 
great  pains  were  taken  to  make  correct  transcriptions,  espe- 
cially with  the  Holy  Scriptures.  So  scrupulous,  for  example, 
were  the  Jewish  scribes  with  their  transcriptions  of  the. Old 
Testament  manuscripts  "that  even  if  a  manifest  error  were 
in  the  copy  they  transcribed  from,  they  would  not  meddle 
with  it  in  the  text,  but  would  write  in  the  margin  what  the 
true  reading  should  be ;  if  they  found  one  letter  larger  than 
another,  or  a  word  running  beyond  the  line,  or  any  other 
mere  irregularity,  they  would  copy  it  exactly  as  it  stood. 
Such  exactness,  of  course,  very  much  lessened  the  danger  of 
erroneous  copying,  and  makes  our  Hebrew  Scriptures  far 
more  trustworthy  than  they  could  otherwise  be."  But  with 
all  the  care  that  could  be  taken  in  the  matter,  and  this  un- 
fortunately was  not  so  conspicuous  in  the  copyists  of  the 
New  Testament  manuscripts,  errors  were  bound  to  creep 
into  the  text.  Many  of  these,  no  doubt,  were  corrected  by 
the  modern  translators,  who  had  access  to  some  ancient 
manuscripts  (though  not  the  original  ones  by  many  re- 
moves), various  versions,  and  "the  fathers."  Still,  with  all 
this,  it  must  be  confessed  that  our  English  Bible  is  far  from 
perfect  in  this  respect. 

But  the  Book  of  Mormon  prefers  a  charge  even  more 
serious  than  carelessness  on  the  part  of  copyists ;  and  this  is 
another  reason  why  Joseph  should  undertake  the  revision. 
It  declares,  as  we  have  seen,  that  during  the  time  the  Bible 
was    solely    in   the   hands   of   "the   great    and   abominable 


AS  THE  STARS  DIFFER 


m 


church,"  it  underwent  changes  on  account,  not  merely  of  un- 
conscious mistakes,  but  of  wickedness  and  corruption  in  the 
church.  Any  one  who  is  at  all  acquainted  with  ecclesiastical 
history  must  concede  that  conditions  were  extremely  favor- 
able to  the  perpetrations  of  this  class  of  fraud.  The  general 
mass  of  men  were  unable  to  read  ;  and  if  they  had  been,  there 
were  not  enough  copies  of  the  Scriptures  to  allow  of  much 
general  information  regarding  their  contents.  The  Bible, 
therefore,  being  in  the  hands  of  the  clergy,  it  was  a  simple 
matter  for  them  to  insert  renderings  wholly  at  variance  with 
the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  or  to  leave  out  passages  unfavorable 
to  claims  that  grew  up  in  the  church.  And  that  the  clergy 
were  capable  of  such  wickedness  is  evident  from  what  they 
did  do.  There  came  a  time  in  the  long  course  of  usurpation 
of  temporal  power  on  the  part  of  the  popes  when  it  would 
have  been  a  glorious  triumph  for  the  church  if,  in  the  matter 
of  this  temporal  power  as  in  that  of  general  law  in  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  she  could  refer  to  a  series  of  decrees  by  earlier 
popes,  thus  carrying  the  authority  of  the  holy  see  back  to  its 
very  origin.  ''That  such  decrees  unfortunately  did  not  ex- 
ist," says  Emerton  in  his  Mediaeval  Europe,  "was  a  slight 
obstacle."  And  so  the  much  needed  decretals  were  actually 
forged,  most  probably,  "in  France,  by  some  person  or  group 
of  persons  interested  in  raising  to  the  very  highest  point  the 
authority  of  the  bishops  over  the  laity."  Such  was,  pre- 
sented in  its  most  charitable  light,  the  origin  of  the  "Forged 
Decretals,"  "the  most  stupenduous  of  the  many  forgeries  by 
which  the  Roman  church  has  built  up  its  immense  power 
over  the  lives  of  men."  In  view  of  a  fraud  like  this,  who 
can  doubt  that  such  a  thing  as  the  Book  of  Mormon  charges 
against  the  mediaeval  church  might  have  occurred? 

With  these  two  influences  at  work,  carelessness  and  de- 
liberate wickedness,  it  was  perfectly  natural  for  errors  to  get 
into  the  text  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.     The  proof,  it  seems, 


154  ONE   HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

that  there  are  such  errors  is  supplied  by  the  fact  "that  ari 
exceeding  great  many  do  stumble,"  and  is  further  corrobor- 
ated by  the  numerous  italicisms  on  every  page  of  the  Bible, 
which  indicate  words  not  in  the  original  Hebrew  or  Greek 
texts. 

In  speaking  thus  of  the  way  in  which  the  word  of  God 
to  the  ancients  has  been  handed  down  to  us,  I  would  not 
be  understood  as  disparaging  that  word.  The  Saints  regard 
the  Bible  as  a  true  and  sacred  record,  and  though  not  in- 
tended by  the  Lord  for  man's  only  guide  of  faith,  is  exceed- 
ingly valuable  as  containing  the  truths  by  which  mankind 
will  ultimately  be  judged.  But  there  is  really  nothing 
gained  in  the  long  run  by  attempting  to  cover  up  imperfec- 
tions in  the  Bible  due  to  uninspired  men.  In  the  hands  of  an 
inspired  prophet  of  God,  however,  'the  original  renderings 
of  passages  might  easily  be  restored,  for  which  purpose 
Joseph  undertook  the  revision. 

The  Inspired  Revision. 

The  work  which  the  Prophet  accomplished  in  revising  the 
Scriptures  is  often  called  a  translatoin,  but  it  was  not  really 
a  translation,  inasmuch  as  he  made  no  pretentions  to  an  ac- 
quaintance with  Hebrew  and  Greek  sufficiently  to  enable 
him  to  make  a  translation.  All  he  did  was  to  revise,  under 
inspiration  of  the  Lord,  the  various  books  of  the  English 
Bible.  In  what  manner  this  revision  was  accomplished  does 
not  appear.  It  was  begun  in  1830,  soon  after  the  completion 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  Writing  in  December  of  this  year, 
the  Prophet  speaks  of  the  "extended  information,"  which 
the  Saints  were  receiving,  "upon  the  Scriptures,  a  transla- 
tion of  which  had  already  commenced."  In  this  same  month, 
we  learn  that  Sidney  Rigdon  was  instructed  in  a  revelation 
(section  35)  given  him  through  the  Prophet  on  the  occa- 
sion of  his  visit  to  Fayette,  to  write  for  Joseph,  "and  the 


AS  THE  STARS  DIFFER  155 

Scriptures  shall  be  given,  even  as  they  are  in  mine  own 
bosom,  to  the  salvation  of  mine  own  elect."  Soon  after  this, 
however,  the  matter  was  laid  aside  until  after  the  removal  of 
the  Church  to  Ohio  occurred,  when  it  was  taken  up  again 
and  continued  till  it  was  again  laid  aside  in  1833,  the 
Prophet  having  gone  through  the  entire  volume  of  Scrip- 
ture, both  the  Old  and  the  New  Testament.  According  to 
President  George  Q.  Cannon,  the  Prophet,  before  his  death, 
had  intended  to  go  through  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures 
again  for  the  purpose  of  perfecting  it  upon  points  of  doc- 
trine which  the  Lord  had  restrained  him  from  giving  in 
plainness  and  fulness  at  the  time  when  he  first  went  over  the 
work.  No  authorized  edition  of  this  revised  Bible  has  ever 
appeared,  though  an  edition  has  been  published  by  the  Jo- 
sephites.  Doubtless  if  the  Prophet  had  lived  to  complete 
the  work,  it  would  have  been  made  public  with  his  sanction. 
Such  are  the  facts  connected  with  the  work  of  revision  itself. 
And  so  to  the  differences  between  this  and  the  common 
English  version. 

These  may,  for  clearness,  be  grouped  under  three  gen- 
eral classes :  first,  mere  corrections ;  second,  supplied  words 
and  phrases,  to  make  the  text  clearer;  and,  third,  supplied 
passages,  which  give  a  larger  meaning  and  greater  fulness 
to  narratives  and  expositions  that  are  obscure  in  our  King 
James  Translation.  Taking  up  these  in  their  order,  we  shall 
place,  where  we  can,  passages  from  both  the  authorized 
version  and  the  inspired  revision  in  parallel  columns,  writ- 
ing in  italics  the  essential  changes  and  additions. 


156 


ONE   HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONTSM 


King  James  Translation. 

Therefore  leaving  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  doctrine  oi 
Christ,  let  us  go  on  unto  per- 
fection ;  not  laying  again 
the  foundation  of  repentance 
from  dead  works,  and  of  faith 
toward  God,  of  the  doctrine 
of  babtisms,  and  of  laying  on 
of  hands,  and  of  resurrection 
of  the  dead,  and  of  eternal 
judgment. — Heb.  6:    1,  2. 


Inspired  Revision. 

Therefore  not  leaving  the 
principles  of  the  doctrine  of 
Christ,  let  us  go  unto  perfec- 
tion ;  not  laying  again  the 
foundation  of  repentance 
from  dead  works,  and  of  faith 
toward  God,  of  the  doctrine 
of  babtisms,  of  laying  on  of 
hands,  and  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead,  and  of  eter- 
nal judgment. — Heb.  6:  1,  2. 


"And  when  the  Gentiles 
heard  this,  they  were  glad 
and  glorified  the  word  of  the 
Lord ;  and  as  many  as  were 
ordained  to  eternal  life  be- 
lieved."—Acts  13:48. 


"And  when  the  Gentiles 
heard  this,  they  were  glad, 
and  glorified  the  word  of  the 
Lord ;  and  as  many  as  be- 
lieved were  ordained  unto 
eternal  life." — Acts  13  :  48. 


"Blessed  are  the  poor  in 
spirit ;  for  theirs  is  the  king- 
dom of  heaven." — Matt.  5  :3. 


"Blessed  are  the  poor  in 
spirit  who  come  unto  me;  for 
theirs  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven." — Matt.  5:3. 


"Marvel  not  at  this;  for 
the  hour  is  coming  in  the 
which  all  that  are  in  the 
graves  shall  hear  his  voice, 
and  shall  come  forth;  they 
that  have  done  good,  unto  the 
resurrection  of  life  ;  and  they 
that  have  done  evil  unto  the 
resurrection  of  damnation." 
—John  5 :  28,  29. 


"Marvel  not  at  this,  for  the 
hour  is  coming,  in  the  which 
all  who  are  in  their  graves 
shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall 
come  forth ;  they  who  have 
done  good,  in  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  justjand  they  who 
have  done  evil,  in  the  resur- 
rection of  the  unjust." — John 
5 :  28,  29. 


AS  THE  STARS  DIFFER 


157" 


King  James  Translation. 

"These  are  the  generations 
of  the  heavens  and  of  the 
earth,  when  they  were  creat- 
ed, in  the  day  that  the  Lord 
God  made  the  earth,  and  the 
heavens,  and  every  plant  of 
the  field  before  it  was  in  the 
earth,  and  every  herb  of  the 
field  before  it  grew ;  for  the 
Lord  God  had  not  caused  it 
to  rain  upon  the  earth,  and 
there  was  not  a  man  to  till 
the  ground.  But  there  went 
up  a  mist  from  the  earth, 
and  watered  the  whole  face 
of  the  ground." — Gen.  2: 
4,6. 


Inspired  Revision. 

"And  now  behold  I  say  un- 
to you  that  these  are  the  gen- 
erations of  the  heaven,  and  of 
the  earth,  when  they  were 
created  in  the  day  that  I  the 
Lord  God,  made  the  heaven 
and  the  earth,  and  every  plant 
of  the  field  before  it  was  in 
the  earth,  and  every  herb  of 
the  field  before  it  grew ;  for 
I,  the  Lord  God,  created  all 
things  of  which  I  have  spok- 
en, spiritually  before  they 
were  naturally  upon  the  face 
of  the  earth;  for  I  the  Lord 
God,  had  not  caused  it  to 
rain  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth.  And  I,  the  Lord  God, 
had  created  all  the  children 
of  men,  and  not  yet  a  man  to 
till  the  ground,  for  in  heaven 
created  I  them,  and  there 
was  not  yet  flesh  upon  the 
earth,  neither  in  the  water, 
neither  in  the  air;  but  I,  the 
Lord  God,  spoke,  and  there 
went  up  a  mist  from  the 
earth,  and  watered  the  whole 
face  of  the  ground." — Gen 
2:4,  6. 


158  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

But  the  most  valuable  parts  of  this  last  class  of  altera- 
tions in  the  inspired  revision  are  those  which  are  wholly 
new,  but  which  are  too  extensive  to  be  inserted  here.  One 
of  these  is  what  may  be  called  an  introduction  to  the  Bible, 
in  which  the  Lord  gives  Joseph  the  Prophet  "the  words 
which  He  spake  unto  Moses  at  the  time  when  Moses  was 
caught  up  into  an  exceeding  high  mountain,  and  saw  God 
face  to  face,  and  talked  with  him,  as  the  glory  of  God  was 
upon  him."  It  tells  of  the  struggle  that  occurred  between 
Satan  and  the  great  Jewish  law-giver,  concerning  which  we 
have  merely  an  allusion  in  the  King  James  version.  It  in- 
forms us,  too,  in  what  manner  Moses  obtained  the  material 
for  his  history  of  the  creation,  which  was  direct  from  the 
Lord.  Another  important  passage  of  considerable  length 
gives  a  great  many  details  in  which  Enoch  figured  con- 
spicuously. This  prophecy  of  Enoch  tells  of  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel  by  Adam,  of  the  wickedness  that  prevailed 
over  the  face  of  the  land,  of  the  labors  of  Enoch  to  bring 
men  to  repentance,  of  his  success,  and  of  the  final  transla- 
tion of  this  prophet  and  all  the  righteous  whom  he  had  col- 
lected into  a  city.  But  the  reader  who  wishes  to  appreciate 
these  longer  passages  should  not  be  content  till  he  has  read 
them  for  himself. 

In  this  brief  discussion  of  this  part  of  our  study,  it  will, 
we  trust,  be  clear  that  for  an  inspired  revision  of  the  Bible 
there  was  a  serious  need,  that  such  a  labor  was  part  of  the 
mission  of  the  modern  prophet,  and  that  he  did  a  good  serv- 
ice to  the  Saints  in  the  work  he  thus  performed. 

Visions  and  Revelations. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  we  called  attention  to  the 
rather  strange  fact  that  Joseph,  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  active  life,  was  engaged  in  some  divinely  appointed  liter- 
ary work.    It  is  an  even  more  curious  fact  in  Church  history 


AS   THE   STARS   DIFFER  159 

that  so  many  of  the  earlier  revelations  to  the  Prophet  were 
apparently  incidental,  by  which  I  mean  that  they  grew 
naturally  out  of  the  facts  and  conditions  in  which  Joseph  and 
the  Saints  found  themselves,  and  that,  also,  they  came,  for 
the  most  part,  in  answer  to  a  manifest  need  in  the  Church 
for  them.  Circumstances  in  the  life  of  the  Prophet  and  in 
the  lives,  too,  of  his  companions  in  the  work,  suggested  the 
need  of  further  light  upon  particular  points,  and  this  light, 
so  far  as  we  know,  was  always  vouchsafed  them.  Instances 
of  this  will  occur  to  any  one  familiar  with  our  history.  The 
first  vision  came  to  Joseph  in  answer  to  his  prayer  in  which 
he  asked  the  very  important  question  which  of  all  the 
churches  by  which  he  was  surrounded  was  the  true  one. 
Those  magnificent  revelations  connected  with  the  Book  of 
Mormon  were  received  in  answer  to  a  desire  and  prayer 
that  the  young  Joseph  might  know  his  standing  with  the 
Lord.  The  Lamanite  mission,  with  all  that  followed  as  a 
result  of  it  came  as  a  reply  to  a  general  anxiety  on  the  part 
of  some  elders,  and  a  question  on  the  part  of  the  Prophet, 
concerning  the  fate  of  the  Indians.  And  so  we  might  give 
many  other  instances.  It  is  very  much  the  same  with  the 
revelations  and  visions  we  are  now  to  relate.  They  came  as 
an  outgrowth  of  reflection  upon  passages  in  the  Bible  which 
Joseph  and  Sidney  were  revising.  And  if  this  revision  had 
accomplished  no  other  result  than  being  the  occasion  of  the 
vision  "concerning  the  degrees  of  glory  in  the  next  world,  it 
would  have  amply  repaid  this  generation  for  all  the  time  and 
labor  expended  upon  it  by  these  two  men. 

We  have  already  spoken  of  the  writings  of  Moses  which 
were  restored  to  their  place  in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith, 
during  the  progress  of  the  revision.  Others  of  a  similar 
character  were  given  subsequently.  The  fourteenth  verse 
of  the  seventh  chapter  of  First  Corinthians — "For  the  un- 


160  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF   MORMONISM 

believing  husband  is  sanctified  by  the  wife,  and  the  unbe- 
lieving wife  is  sanctified  by  the  husband,  else  were  your 
children  unclean,  but  now  are  they  holy" — was  explained  in 
a  revelation  (section  74)  to  the  Prophet.  In  the  same  way 
many  passages  in  the  Revelation  of  St.  John  were  expounded 
to  Joseph  and  his  companion.  Reference  to  section  77,  of 
the  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  will  make  it  clear  that  this 
modern  Restorer  has  reflected  no  inconsiderable  light  upon 
this  profoundly  obscure  book,  a  book  which  no  theologian 
in  Christendom  lays  any  claim  to  understanding. 

But  the  most  important  of  the  revelations  connected  with 
the  revision  of  the  Scriptures,  is  the  one  called  "the  Vi- 
sion," and  found  in  section  seventy-six  of  the  Doctrine  and 
Covenants.  The  occasion  for  this  revelation  was  a  difficulty 
which  the  Prophet  and  Sidney  Rigdon  had  experienced  in 
understanding  the  twenty-ninth  verse  of  the  fifth  chapter 
of  John,  which  speaks  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and 
which  we  have  already  quoted.  "Now  this  caused  us  to 
marvel,"  declares  the  Prophet,  "for  it  was  given  unto  us 
of  the  spirit.  And  while  we  meditated  upon  these  things 
the  Lord  -touched  the  eyes  of  our  understanding  and  they 
were  opened,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone  round  about ; 
and  we  beheld  the  glory  of  the  Son,  on  the  right  hand 
of  the  Father,  and  received  of  his  fulness ;  and  saw  the 
holy  angels,  and  them  who  are  sanctified  before  his  throne, 
worshiping  God  and  the  Lamb  for  ever  and  ever." 

Apostates  and  Mobocrats. 

All  these  things  occurred  at  Hiram,  Portage  county,  a  town 
about  thirty  miles  southeast  of  Kirtland.  Joseph  had  moved 
there  for  the  purpose,  it  seems,  of  continuing  the  revision 
of  the  Scriptures,  and  was  living  with  the  family  of  John 
Johnson,  a  member  of  the  Church.     Emma  was  with  the 


AS  THE  STARS  DIFFER  161 

Prophet,  and  Sidney  Rigdon  and  his  family  were  occupying 
a  house  in  the  same  town. 

Hiram  was  the  home  also  of  Ezra  Booth  and  Simonds 
Ryder,  both  of  whom  had  been  somewhat  noted  preachers, 
the  former  in  the  Methodist  Church,  the  latter  in  the  Camp- 
bellite  organization.  Booth  had  been  converted  by  seeing  a 
miracle  performed.  Mrs.  Johnson,  it  appears,  had  been  af- 
flicted for  some  time  with  a  lame  arm,  and  while  she  and 
her  husband  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Booth  were  on  a  visit  to  the 
Prophet,  then  at  Kirtland,  the  latter  at  their  request  had 
administered  to  her  arm,  upon  which  it  was  immediately 
healed.  Booth  thereupon  joined  the  Church.  Subsequently, 
he  went  to  Zion  with  the  group  of  Elders  who  were  called 
to  go  there ;  but  he  soon  became  disaffected  and  left  the 
Church.  The  Prophet  says  that  when  Booth  learned  that 
"faith,  humility,  patience,  and  tribulation  go  before  bless- 
ing," when  he  found  out  that  the  Savior  would  not  grant 
him  power,  "to  smite  men  and  make  them  believe,"  as  he 
had  desired,  he  was  disappointed.  Shortly  afterwards  he 
published  in  the  Ohio  Star  a  series  of  nine  articles,  in  which 
he  endeavored  to  cast  odium  upon  the  cause  he  had  for- 
saken. 

The  conversion  and  the  apostasy  of  Simonds  Ryder  are 
equally  interesting  as  throwing  light  upon  his  character. 
Like  Booth,  Ryder  was  converted  by  a  supernatural  mani- 
festation, though  in  his  case  it  was  a  prophecy.  An  earth- 
quake took  place  in  Pekin,  China,  which  Ryder  had  heard 
predicted  by  a  young  "Mormon"  girl  six  weeks  previously. 
As  he  had  been  for  some  time  considering  whether  or  not  to 
join  the  Church,  this  proved  "the  final  weight  in  the  bal- 
ance," and  he  threw  his  influence  upon  the  side  of  "Mor- 
monism,"  which  caused  an  excitement  almost  equal  to  that 
which  followed  the  conversion  of  Rigdon.  He  was  or- 
dained an  elder,  but  in  the  letter  which  notified  him  of  the 


162  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

fact  that  it  was  the  will  of  the  Lord  that  he  should  preach 
the  gospel,  as  well  as  in  his  commission  to  preach,  his  name 
was  spelled  R-i-d-e-r  instead  of  R-y-d-e-r.  This  led  him  to 
doubt  whether  the  Lord  had  had  anything  to  do  with  his  call, 
since  if  the  "Spirit  through  which  he  had  been  called  to 
preach  could  err  in  the  matter  of  spelling  his  name,  it 
might  have  erred  in  calling  him  to  the  ministry  as  well." 
So  a  misplaced  letter  proved  his  undoing  spiritually,  and  he 
left  the  Church.  He  seems  to  have  been  as  bitter  against 
his  former  friends,  as  his  companion  preacher,  Ezra  Booth. 
In  addition,  three  of  the  Johnson  boys,  Eli,  Edward,  and 
John,  Jr.,  had  also  left  the  Church. 

The  significance  that  attaches  to  the  apostasy  of  Booth 
and  Ryder  at  this  time,  is,  that  they  led  a  strong  opposition 
against  the  Prophet  which  resulted  in  the  customary  mob 
violence.  This  disturbance  occurred  in  the  latter  part  of 
March,  1832.  On  the  night  of  the  24th,  Joseph,  exhausted 
by  long  watching  at  the  bedside  of  two  sick  children — the 
Murdock  twins,  which  Emma  had  adopted  in  place  of  her 
own,  which  had  died — had  thrown  himself  upon  the  bed 
and  fallen  asleep.  Emma,  who  had  retired,  was  awakened 
by  a  tapping  at  the  window,  which,  however,  she  took  no 
particular  notice  of  at  the  time.  But  it  was  only  a  few 
moments  till  about  a  dozen  men  broke  into  the  room,  rough- 
ly took  up  the  sleeping  form  of  Joseph,  and  dragged  him  out, 
amid  the  screams  of  his  wife,  and  his  own  struggles  to  free 
himself  from  their  grasp.  About  thirty  rods  from  the 
house  they  came  upon  another  band  of  men  with  Sidney 
Rigdon,  who  had  been  dragged  by  the  feet,  his  head  beat- 
ing against  the  rough,  frozen  ground.  Leaving  Rigdon, 
unconscious,  the  united  mob,  increasing  in  number  every 
minute,  went  about  thirty  rods  more  where  they  held  a  con- 
sultation to  determine  what  should  be  done  with  the  Prophet. 
While  the  majority  were  thus  engaged,  a  number  of  others 


AS  THE  STARS  DIFFER  163 

held  Joseph,  being  careful  to  keep  him  from  touching  the 
ground,  lest  he  should  spring  away  from  them.  The  result 
of  the  deliberation  was  that  he  was  stripped  of  his 
clothes,  and  then  covered  with  tar  and  feathers.  With 
threats,  horrible  imprecations,  and  blasphemy,  they  perpe- 
trated this  outrage  on  the  Prophet's  person,  forcing  the  tar- 
paddle  into  his  mouth,  and  breaking  a  vial  of  liquid  against 
his  teeth.  They  then  left  him.  After  several  attempts  to 
rise  he  finally  succeeded,  wiped  away  the  tar  from  his  lips 
so  that  he  might  breathe  more  freely,  and  made  his  way  to- 
wards a.  light,  which  he  afterwards  found  issued  from  his 
own  window.  Calling  for  a  blanket,  he  entered  the  house, 
where  a  number  of  the  sisters  in  the  neighborhood,  hearing 
of  the  trouble,  had  collected.  He  spent  the  rest  of  the  night 
in  removing  the  tar  and  cleansing  his  body.  The  next  day 
being  Sunday,  he  preached  at  the  usual  meeting  of  the 
Saints,  at  which  several  of  the  mobbers  were  in  attendance, 
but  he  made  no  allusion  to  the  preceding  night.  For  sev- 
eral days  after  .this  barbarous  treatment,  Sidney  Rigdon 
was  delirious. 

In  the  mob,  besides  Ryder  and  probably  Booth,  were  "one 
McClintic,"  whom  Joseph  recognized ;  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Waste,  "the  strongest  man  in  the  Western  Reserve ;" 
Streeter,  a  son  of  a  Campbellite  preacher;  "Felatiah  Allen, 
who  gave  the  mob  a  barrel  of  whisky  to  raise  their  spirits  ; 
and  many  others  of  various  religious  parties,  but  mostly 
Campbellites,  Methodists  and  Baptists."  The  mob  had  ob- 
tained the  feathers  which  they  used  on  this  occasion  from 
Elder  Rigdon's  home.  In  consequence  of  exposure  brought 
on  by  this  affair,  one  of  the  twins  contracted  a  severe  cold, 
from  which  it  died  a  few  days  later.  Soon  after  this,  Sid- 
ney Rigdon  moved  with  his  family  to  Chardon,  a  place 
about  five  miles  from  Kirtland.  Joseph  went  on  his  sec- 
ond visit  to  Zion,  in  Missouri,  thus  probably  escaping  other 


164  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS    OF    MORMONISM 

mobbings,  for  "the  spirit  of  mobocracy  was  very  prevalent 
through  that  whole  region  of  country  at  the  time." 

The  Writings  of  Abraham. 

Another  ancient  document  of  great  value  which  Joseph  the 
Prophet  was  instrumental  in  revealing  to  the  world  is  what 
is  known  among  the  Saints  as  The  Book  of  Abraham. 

In  July,  1835,  Michael  H.  Chandler  came  to  Kirtland, 
exhibiting  four  Egyptian  mummies,  which,  according  to  his 
account,  had  come  into  his  possession  in  the  following  man- 
ner :  His  uncle,  Antonio  Sebolo,  a  French  traveler  and  anti- 
quarian, had  explored  the  catacombs  near  Thebes,  in  Egypt, 
from  one  of  which  he  had  obtained,  at  considerable  labor 
and  expense,  eleven  mummies.  With  these  he  was  return- 
ing to  Paris,  when  he  was  taken  sick  and  died.  The  ancient 
treasures,  at  Sebolo's  request,  were  sent  to  Mr.  Chandler, 
who  was  at  Philadelphia.  The  coffins  were  opened  for  the 
first  time  in  New  York,  and  the  features  of  some  of  the 
bodies  were  discovered  to  be  in  the  most  perfect  expression. 
With  two  of  the  figures  was  found  "something  rolled  up  in 
some  kind  of  linen  and  saturated  with  bitumen,"  which 
proved  to  be  two  rolls  of  papyrus,  in  perfect  state  of  preser- 
vation, and  "covered  with  black  or  red  ink,  or  paint."  Mr. 
Chandler,  having  no  particular  fondness  for  this  kind  of 
relics,  was  induced  while  at  Kirtland,  to  part  with,  not  only 
the  papyrus,  but  also  the  mummies,  to  some  of  the  Saints. 

A  few  days  after  the  purchase  of  these  rolls,  Joseph, 
with  Oliver  Cowdery  and  William  W.  Phelps,  began  the 
translation  of  one  of  them.  They  discovered  to  their  joy 
that  it  was  the  writings  of  Abraham.  The  other  they  found 
was  the  writings  of  Joseph  of  Egypt.  "Truly,"  says  the 
Prophet,  "the  Lord  is  beginning  to  reveal  the  abundance  of 
peace  and  truth."  From  this  time  on,  as  his  other  duties 
would  permit,  he  studied  the  Egyptian  alphabet  and  the  rolls, 


AS  THE  STARS  DIFFER  165 

showing  them  meantime  to  friends  and  strangers  who 
chanced  to  appear.  Among  those  to  whom  he  made  explan- 
ations and  exhibitions  were  Elders  William  E.  M'Lellin, 
Brigham  Young,  Jared  Carter  and  John  Taylor.  Finally, 
the  translation  of  the  Book  of  Abraham  was  completed  and 
published  to  the  world,  first  in  the  Times  and  Seasons,  and 
afterwards  as  part  of  the  Pearl  of  Great  Price. 

The  Book  of  Joseph,  it  seems,  was  never  published,  if  it 
was  ever  translated.  The  mummies,  with  which  the  rolls  of 
papyrus  were  found,  were  kept  for  several  years  by  Lucy 
Smith,  Joseph's  mother,  wrho  had  them  on  exhibition  at 
Nauvoo;  but  they  finally  found  their  way  to  the  Chicago 
museum,  where  they  were  destroyed  in  the  fire  that  oc- 
curred there  in   1871. 

The  Book  of  Abraham,  as  published  in  the  Pearl  of  Great 
Price,  is  a  very  remarkable  work  in  many  respects.  It  is  in 
the  main  an  autobiographical  sketch  of  the  ancient  patriarch, 
though  it  is  far  more  valuable  for  the  great  truths  it  contains 
in  relation  to  the  customs  of  the  Egyptians  and  Chaldeans 
of  that  early  day ;  the  location,  relative  positions,  and  op- 
erations of  the  heavenly  bodies,  which  Abraham  learned 
through  the  urim  and  thummim ;  the  doctrine  of  pre-exist- 
ence,  which  is  set  forth  with  such  rare  clearness ;  and  the 
creation  of  the  earth,  which  supplements  very  beautifully  the 
account  given  in  Genesis. 


CHAPTER  IV 

ZION    IS    FLED 

Lowering  Clouds. 

It  is  but  natural  that  the  differences  in  character  and  mode 
of  life  we  have  spoken  of  between  the  Missourians  and  the 
Latter-day  Saints  should  result  in  something  more  tangible 
than  sentiment.  As  early  as  the  spring  of  1832,  some  of  the 
Saints'  houses  were  stoned  at  midnight,  and  the  people  oth- 
erwise molested.  Probably  this  act  was  only  the  expression 
on  the  part  of  boys,  of  ideas  and  feelings  which  they  had 
been  imbued  with  at  their  homes.  Yet  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  a  haystack  belonging  to  the  "Mormons"  was 
burned;  the  people  insulted  and  abused,  and  some  of  the 
houses  shot  into.  In  April,  1833,  about  three  hundred  of 
the  older  inhabitants  met  at  Independence  for  the  purpose 
of  consulting  upon  what  they  ought  to  do  with  their  unwel- 
come neighbors,  the  "Mormons;"  but  before  they  reached 
the  point  of  serious  deliberation,  the  meeting  broke  up  in  a 
characteristic  Missouri  row.  The  Saints  believed  that  the 
real  secret  of  this  failure  on  the  part  of  their  enemies  to 
come  to  an  agreement,  was  a  prayer  which  they  had  col- 
lectively offered  that  the  meeting  might  come  to  naught. 

The  ministers,  too,  during  this  time,  were  not  idle.  One 
of  them,  a  Reverend  Ewing,  for  instance,  declared  that  "the 
Mormons  were  the  common  enemies  of  mankind  and  ought 
to  be  destroyed" — a  very  humane  and  Christian  sentiment, 
to  be  sure,  to  be  found  lodged  in  the  heart  of  a  man  who 
was  ostensibly  in  Missouri  to  teach  people  how  better  to  fol- 
low the  example  of  Jesus  in  all  things.    A  Reverend  Pixley, 


ZION  IS  FLED  167 

at  about  the  same  time,  published  a  tract  entitled  "Beware 
of  False  Prophets,"  in  which  he  denounced  the  "Mormons," 
distributing  it  from  house  to  house.  This  venomous  pam- 
phlet of  Pixley's,  as  well  as  the  diatribe  of  Ewing's,  was  an- 
swered in  The  Star,  though  in  such  a  general  way  as  not  to 
refer  directly  to  these  preachers  or  to  any  of  the  local  min- 
isters. 

In  July  of  this  year  (1833),  towards  the  middle  of  the 
month,  the  Saints  discovered  that  there  was  in  circulation 
among  the  non-"Mormons"  of  the  county  what  the  latter 
were  pleased  to  call  the  "Secret  Constitution."  This  inter- 
esting document,  which,  judging  by  the  frequent  reference 
to  the  theological  aspect  of  the  situation,  was  drawn  up  by 
a  sectarian  pen,  was  very  numerously  signed.  The  list  in- 
cluded the  names  of  a  jailer,  the  county  clerk  and  his  deputy, 
the  Indian  agent,  the  postmaster  at  Independence,  a  colonel 
and  judge,  two  justices  of  the  peace,  a  lawyer,  a  doctor,  a 
constable  and  his  deputy,  a  captain,  and  several  merchants. 
This  "Constitution"  declared  that  since  the  arm  of  the  civil 
law  did  not  offer  them  a  sufficient  protection  against  the  evil 
of  having  the  "Mormons"  among  them  the  signers  intended 
to  rid  their  society  of  these  objectionable  persons,  "peaceably 
if  they  could,  forcibly  if  they  must."  It  charged  (1)  that 
the  "Mormons"  claimed  to  hold  personal  communion  or  con- 
verse face  to  face  with  the  Most  High  God;"  (2)  that  they 
were  "the  very  dregs  of  that  society"  from  which  they  had 
come,  and  were,  therefore,  lazy,  idle,  and  vicious;  (3)  that 
they  were  poor,  having  brought  little  with  them  from  the 
East,  and  left  less  behind;  (4)  that  they  had  tampered  with 
the  slaves  of  the  older  settlers;  and  (5)  that  they  claimed 
Jackson  county  by  reason,  not  of  purchase,  but  of  the  direct 
gift  of  God.  This  remarkable  document  closed  with  the 
words:  "We,  therefore,  agree  that  after  timely  warning, 
and  receiving  an  adequate  compensation  for  what  little  prop- 


168  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS    OF    MORMON  ISM 

erty  they  cannot  take  with  them,  they  refuse  to  leave  us 
in  peace,  as  they  found  us,  we  agree  to  use  such  means  as 
may  be  sufficient  to  remove  them,  and  to  that  end  we  each 
pledge  to  each  other  our  bodily  powers,  our  lives,  fortunes 
and  sacred  honors  V  A  meeting  was  called  for  the  20th  of 
the  month  "to  consult  on  subsequent  movements." 

When  the  20th  of  July  arrived  there  appeared  between 
four  and  five  hundred  persons  at  the  Independence  court 
house.  After  the  usual  preliminaries  of  election  of  officers 
— Colonel  Richard  Simpson,  chairman,  and  James  H.  Flour- 
noy  and  Colonel  S.  D.  Lucas,  secretaries— a  committee  of 
seven— Russel  Hicks,  Robert  Johnson,  Henry  Childs,  Colo- 
nel James  Hambright,  Thos.  Hudspeth,  Joel  T.  Childs  and 
James  M.  Hunter — was  appointed  to  draft  an  address  to  the 
public.  "Professing  to  act  not  from  the  excitement  of  the 
moment,  but  under  a  deep  and  abiding  conviction,  that  the 
occasion  was  one  that  called  for  cool  deliberation,"  this  July 
meeting,  comprising  all  classes  of  Jackson  county  non- 
"Mormons,"  through  this  report  of  its  committee,  gravely 
specifies  the  following  charges  against  the  new  settlers: 
First,  that  the  "Mormons"  are  elevated  "but  little  above  the 
condition  of  our  blacks,  either  in  regard  to  property  or  edu- 
cation." "Most  of  those  who  have  already  come,"  the  docu- 
ment goes  on  to  say,  "are  characterized  by  the  profoundest 
ignorance,  the  grossest  superstition,  and  the  most  abject  pov- 
erty." In  the  next  place,  it  is  asserted  that  the  Saints  claim 
inheritance  in  Jackson  county  by  special  grant  of  the  Lord. 
Thirdly,  it  alleges  that  the  "Mormons"  had  been  tampering 
with  the  slaves  and  Indians.  Lastly,  the  belief  of  the  new 
comers  was  objected  to.  "When  we  reflect  on  the  extensive 
field  in  which  the  sect  is  operating,"  continues  this  Address, 
"and  that  there  exists  in  every  county  a  leaven  of  supersti- 
tion that  embraces  with  avidity,  notions  the  most  extrava- 
gant and  unheard  of,  and  whatever  may  be  gleaned  by  them 


ZION    IS  FLED  169 

from  the  purlieus  of  vice,  and  the  abodes  of  ignorance,  is  to 
be  cast  like  a  waif  into  our  social  circle,  it  requires  no  gift  of 
prophecy  to  tell  that  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  the  civil 
government  of  the  county  will  be  in  their  hands,  when  the 
sheriff,  the  justices,  and  the  county  judges  will  be  Mormons, 
or  persons  wishing  to  court  their  favor  from  motives  of  in- 
terest or  ambition."  It  concluded  by  declaring:  (1)  "that 
no  Mormon  shall  in  future  move  and  settle  in  this  county; 
(2)  that  those  now  here,  who  shall  give  a  definite  pledge  of 
their  intention,  within  a  reasonable  time  to  remove  out  of 
the  county,  shall  be  allowed  to  remain  unmolested  until  they 
have  sufficient  time  to  sell  their  property,  and  close  their 
business,  without  any  material  sacrifice;  (3)  that  the  editor 
of  the  Star  be  required  forthwith  to  close  his  office,  and  dis- 
continue the  business  of  printing  in  this  county ;  and  as  to 
all  other  stores  and  shops  belonging  to  the  sect,  their  own- 
ers must  in  every  case  comply  with  the  terms  of  the  second 
article  of  this  declaration ;  and  upon  failure,  prompt  and  effi- 
cient measures  will  be  taken  to  close  the  same ;  (4)  that 
the  Mormon  leaders  here  are  required  to  use  their  influence 
in  preventing  any  further  emigration  of  their  distant  breth- 
ren to  this  county,  and  to  counsel  and  advise  their  brethren 
here  to  comply  with  the  above  requisitions;  (5)  that  those 
who  fail  to  comply  with  these  requisitions,  be  referred  to 
those  of  their  brethren  who  have  the  gifts  of  divination,  and 
of  unknown  tongues,  to  inform  them  of  the  lot  that  awaits 
them." 

A  recent  non-"Mormon"  work  praises  this  "Address  to 
the  Public,"  for  the  skill  with  which  it  is  drawn  up.  But, 
certainly,  not  so  much  praise  can  be  given  it  on  the  score  of 
truth,  delicacy  of  sentiment,  and  humanity;  and  as  it  is  the 
result  of  "cool  deliberation"  on  the  part  of  its  authors  and 
indorsers,  not  of  "the  excitement  of  the  occasion,"  we  may 
examine  these  charges  briefly. 


170  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

The  first  one  is,  that  the  "Mormons"  were  poor,  igno- 
rant and  superstitions.  That  the  Saints  were  poor  is  evident 
from  all  that  we  know  of  their  circumstances  at  the  time. 
It  is  doubtless  true  that  some  of  them  were  ignorant.  But 
it  is  not  true  that  "most  of  those"  who  were  in  the  county 
were  so.  Superstitious  they  certainly  were  not,  unless  belief 
in  the  Bible  and  present  revelation,  visions,  miracles,  be 
called  superstitious.  For  it  cannot  be  shown  that  the  "su- 
perstition" of  the  "Mormons"  was  anything  other  than  this. 
Surely,  no  genuine  believer  in  the  teachings  of  Christ  could 
have  written  or  indorsed  this  Address.  Besides,  this  whole 
charge  comes  with  extremely  bad  grace  from  a  county  made 
up  of  the  class  of  people  composing  the  population  of  Jack- 
son county,  and  it  is  a  weak  fortification  of  their  position  to 
say  that  there  were  some  "skilled  pens"  among  them, 

As  to  the  complaint  that  the  Saints  claimed  to  have  re- 
ceived land  in  and  around  Independence,  little  need  be  said. 
No  one  has  ever  attempted  to  show  that  the  "Mormons" 
ever  tried  to  obtain  any  land  without  purchasing  it  in  a  legal 
way.  Indeed,  in  an  unguarded  moment  the  writers  of  this 
document  assert  that  the  Star  urges  the  brethren  not  to 
come  here  unless  they  are  able  to  purchase  an  inheritance, 
"which  means,"  says  this  Address,  "some  fifteen  acres  of 
wild  land  for  each  family."  It  is  probable,  too,  that  some 
unwise  persons  among  the  Saints  openly  boasted  that  they 
would  soon  enjoy  the  property  now  owned  by  the  older  set- 
tlers, which  the  non-"Mormons,"  with  worldly  wisdom,  in- 
terpreted into  an  attempt,  more  or  less  imminent,  to  dispos- 
sess them  of  their  rights. 

The  third  charge,  namely,  that  the  Saints  had  tampered 
with  the  slaves  and  entered  into  alliance  with  the  Indians, 
is  based  on  what  appeared,  editorially,  in  the  issue  of  The 
Evening  and  Morning  Star  of  July  16th,  respecting  "free 
people  of  color."     The  advice  is  given  in  this  editorial  for 


ZION  IS  FLED  171 

the  Saints  to  use  wisdom  regarding  their  conduct  and 
conversation  on  the  subject,  for  the  reason  that  "slaves  are 
real  estate  in  this  and  other  States."  Two  sections  of  the 
Missouri  laws  respecting  slavery  and  the  punishment  for 
bringing  into  the  State  "any  free  negro  or  mulatto,  not  hav- 
ing in  his  possession  a  certificate  of  citizenship,  "were  quoted 
without  comment.  This  article  on  slavery,  than  which  noth- 
ing could  be  a  clearer  disapproval  of  the  bringing  of  "free 
people  of  color"  or  of  tampering  with  slaves,  these  men,  with 
characteristic  unfairness,  construed  into  "an  indirect  invita- 
tion to  the  free  brethren  of  color  in  Illinois,  to  come  up  like 
the  rest  to  the  land  of  Zion  !"  That  this  was  only  a  trumped- 
up  charge  for  the  purpose  of  more  thoroughly  rousing  bit- 
terness against  the  "Mormons"  in  the  county,  is  very  evi- 
dent for  the  reason  that  not  a  dozen  free  negroes  or  mulat- 
toes  ever  belonged  to  the  Church  during  the  first  nine  years 
of  its  existence.  Then,  too,  if  the  Saints  had  tampered  with 
the  slaves,  why  were  they  not  punished  for  the  offense  ac- 
cording to  law  ?  That  they  were  not  even  arrested  for  this 
alleged  crime  is  proof  positive  that  the  whole  charge  was  "a 
wicked  fabrication,"  since  this  Address  as  well  as  the  "Secret 
Constitution"  contends  that  the  situation  between  the  "Mor- 
mons" and  their  neighbors  was  "unprovided  for  by  the 
laws." 

The  last  complaint — that  against  the  religion  of  the 
Saints — reveals  the  secret  animus  which  brought  about  the 
"Mormon"  trouble  in  Jackson  county.  The  older  settlers 
feared  that,  in  time,  the  proselyting  system  of  "Mormon- 
ism"  would  bring  about  such  an  influx  of  "the  sect"  into  the 
county,  as  to  cause  a  transfer  of  the  political  offices,  with  the 
emoluments  thereof,  from  Gentile  into  "Mormon"  hands. 
Doubtless,  just  such  a  state  of  things  would  come  about  in 
the  course  of  a  few  years.  But  there  was  certainly  nothing 
wrong  in  the  "Mormon"  people  settling  in  this  or  any  other 


172  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

part  of  the  United  States,  in  any  number  whatsoever,  since 
there  was  no  intention,  and  no  signs  of  interference  with 
any  one's  rights.  Nothing  reflects  greater  light  on  the  char- 
acter of  the  Missourians  in  Jackson  county  than  this  com- 
plaint, together  with  the  five  declarations  with  which  the  Ad- 
dress closes.  In  view  of  these  things  and  the  subsequent 
conduct  of  the  Gentiles  in  this  part  of  the  county,  and  also 
in  view  of  their  confession  that  the  "Mormons"  had  broken 
no  law,  no  words  need  be  wasted  in  denouncing  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Saints  there,  and  in  praising  the  intelligence,  skill, 
and  general  character  of  the  men  who  attended  this  meeting 
and  perpetrated  the  outrage  of  expelling  the  "Mormons" 
from  the  county.    These  things  speak  for  themselves. 

After  hearing  and  approving  this  report,  the  meeting  de- 
cided to  appoint  a  committee  of  twelve  "forthwith  to  wait 
on  the  Mormon  leaders,  and  see  that  the  foregoing  requisi- 
tions are  strictly  complied  with  by  them."  This  committee 
was  appointed.  Two  hours  later  the  twelve  men  reported 
"that  they  had  called  on  Mr.  Phelps,  the  editor  of  the  Star; 
Edward  Partridge,  the  Bishop  of  the  sect ;  and  Mr.  Gilbert, 
the  keeper  of  the  Lord's  storehouse  ;  and  some  others  ;  and 
that  they  declined  giving  any  direct  answer  to  the  requisi- 
tions made  of  them,  and  wished  an  unreasonable  time  for 
consultation,  not  only  with  their  brethren  here,  but  in  Ohio." 
"Whereupon,"  to  use  the  extraordinary,  but  intentionally 
vague  language  of  a  then  current  newspaper  report,  "it  was 
unanimously  resolved  by  the  meeting,  that  the  Star  printing 
office  should  be  razed  to  the  ground,  and  the  type  and  press 
secured.  Which  resolution  was,  with  the  utmost  order,  and 
the  least  noise  and  disturbance  possible,  forthwith  carried 
into  execution,  as  also  some  other  steps  of  a  similar  tend- 
ency; but  no  blood  was  spilled,  nor  any  blows  inflicted." 

The  details  of  this  visit  to  the  "leading  Mormons"  are 
these:     The  committee  of  twelve  called  on  Edward  Part- 


ZION    IS    FLED  173 

ridge,  A.  S.  Gilbert,  John  Corrill,  Isaac  Morley,  John  Whit- 
mer,  and  W.  W.  Phelps,  laying  before  them  the  propositions 
formulated  by  the  committee  of  seven  and  adopted  by  the 
meeting.  The  brethren  replied  that  the  matter  was  so  im- 
portant, involving  as  it  did  the  interest  of  twelve  hundred 
people,  as  to  forbid  their  giving  an  immediate  answer.  They 
therefore  asked  for  three  months,  and  when  this  was  denied 
them,  ten  days,  in  which  they  might  consult  with  the  au- 
thorities in  Ohio.  But  only  fifteen  minutes  was  allowed,  and 
the  conference  came  to  an  end,  the  committee  returning  to 
the  meeting  at  the  court-house  to  report  as  above. 

First  Acts  of  Violence. 

This  body  of  men  from  all  parts  of  the  county,  including 
county  officials,  a  number  of  clergymen  of  different  denom- 
inations, and  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  State,  "with 
the  utmost  order,  and  least  noise  and  disturbance  possible," 
if  you  will,  for  the  more  order  the  worse,  in  such  an  un- 
dertaking, proceeded  to  the  house  where  the  Star  was  pub- 
lished, and  tore  the  building  down,  after  having  secured  the 
books,  papers  and  other  literary  valuables  of  the  Church, 
thrown  the  press  out  of  an  upper  window  and  driven  Mrs. 
Phelps  with  her  sick  child  out  upon  the  street.  Then,  in  the 
same  "orderly"  fashion  they  broke  into  the  houses  of  the 
Saints,  caught  several  brethren  and  dragged  them  to  the 
public  square  and  proceeded,  if  we  may  use  the  flippant  and 
irreverent  language  of  an  anti-"Mormon"  writer,  to  decor- 
ate them  with  feathers.  One  of  these. was  Edward  Part- 
ridge, a  man  whom  Joseph  had  asserted  to  be  without  guile. 
Surrounded  by  several  hundred  mobbers,  he  declared  his  in- 
nocence of  any  offense  against  any  of  them  or  against  the 
law,  his  refusal  to  comply  with  their  unlawful  and  unreason- 
able request  to  leave  the  country,  and  his  determination  to 
suffer,  if  need  were,  for  the  sake  of  the  gospel,  as  so  many 


174  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

of  Christ's  followers  had  clone  before  him.  With  profanity 
and  yells  the  tools  of  the  mob  thereupon  stripped  this  inno- 
cent man  of  his  hat,  coat,  and  vest,  daubed  him  from  head  to 
foot  with  tar,  in  which  had  been  mixed  some  strong  acid,  and 
then  threw  upon  him  a  quantity  of  feathers.  He  was  then 
permitted  to  leave,  many  persons  in  the  mob  showing  by 
their  countenances  how  their  guilty  consciences  smote  them 
for  taking  part  in  such  a  barbarous  act.  Next  came  Charles 
Allen,  who,  for  the  same  "offense"  of  not  desiring  to  leave 
the  county  or  of  denying  his  religion,  was  outraged  in  the 
same  manner.  The  other  captured  brethren,  having  used  the 
advantage  offered  them  by  the  general  curiosity  to  see  the 
torturing  of  the  victims,  escaped  before  their  turns  came. 
"But  no  blood  zvas  spilled,  nor  any  blozvs  inflicted!" 

"You  now  know  what  our  Jackson  boys  can  do,"  re- 
marked Lieutenant-Governor  Boggs  to  some  of  the  Saints, 
immediately  after  this  exhibition  of  brute  force;  "and  you 
must  leave  the  county."  That  night,  in  darkness  and  silence, 
the  woman  and  children,  who  had  fled  in  terror  at  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  mob,  returned  to  their  homes  in  fear  and  ap- 
prehension as  to  what  had  been  the  lot  of  those  whom  this 
turbulent  mob  had  taken. 

An  Appeal  to  the  Law. 

During  the  next  three  months,  from  the  20th  of  July  to  the 
latter  part  of  October,  there  occurred  no  open  rupture  be- 
tween the  two  unfriendly  elements  in  Jackson  county,  but 
there  were  active  measures  on  the  part  of  the  Saints  to  pro- 
tect their  rights  and  constant  threatenings  on  the  part  of  the 
mob  of  what  they  would  do  in  case  their  "requisitions"  were 
not  complied  with. 

On  the  23rd  day  of  July  a  mob,  numbering  upwards  of 
five  hundred  armed  men,  came  rushing  pell-mell  into  Inde- 
pendence, without  any  warning,  bearing  a  red  flag.     They 


2I0N    IS    FLED  175 

began  searching  for  the  leaders  of  the  Saints,  swearing  that 
they  would  bestow  from  fifty  to  five  hundred  lashes  on  the 
backs  of  all  whom  they  caught.  They  repeated  their  threat 
to  rid  Jackson  county  of  the  "Mormons,"  peaceably  if  they 
could,  forcibly  if  they  must.  "If  they  will  not  go  out," 
these  fiends  shouted,  "we  will  whip  and  kill  the  men ;  we  will 
destroy  their  children,  and  ravish  their  women  I"  Fearing 
for  the  lives  of  their  people  and  hoping  to  satisfy  the  insane 
fury  of  the  mob,  John  Corrill,  John  Whitmer,  William  W. 
Phelps,  A.  S.  Gilbert,  Edward  Partridge,  and  Isaac  Morley, 
with  Christlike  unselfishness  offered  to  submit  to  any 
cruelty  of  the  mob,  even  to  death,  if  thereby  they  might  turn 
aside  from  the  body  of  their  people  in  Jackson  these  out- 
pourings of  hate.  But  the  animosity  of  these  flint-hearted 
men  would  not  be  appeased  by  such  a  trifling  sacrifice. 
These  six,  they  declared,  would  be  lashed  soon  enough,  but 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  would  be  served  likewise,  un- 
til they  consented  to  leave  the  county. 

Seeing  the  utter  futility  of  treating  with  the  mob  on 
any  other  terms  than  an  agreement  to  leave,  these  six  breth- 
ren signed  a  "treaty,"  with  their  enemies  to  the  effect,  "that 
Oliver  Cowdery,  W.  W.  Phelps,  William  M'Lellin,  Edward 
Partridge,  Lyman  Wight,  Simeon  Carter,  Peter  and  John 
Whitmer  and  Harvey  H.  Whitlock  shall  remove  with  their 
families  out  of  this  county,  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  Jan- 
uary next,  and  that  they,  as  well  as  the  two  hereinafter 
named,  use  all  their  influence  to  induce  all  the  brethren  now 
here  to  remove  as  soon  as  possible ;  one-half,  say  by  the  first 
of  January  next,  and  all  by  the  first  day  of  April  next,  to  ad- 
vise and  try  all  means  in  their  power  to  stop  any  more  of 
their  sect  from  moving  to  this  county ;  and  as  to  those  now 
on  the  road,  they  will  use  their  influence  to  prevent  their 
settling  permanently  in  the  county,  but  that  they  shall  only 
make  arrangements  for  temporary  shelter,  till  a  new  location 


176  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

is  agreed  for  the  society.  John  Corrill  and  Algernon  Sidney 
Gilbert  are  allowed  to  remain  as  general  agents  to  wind  up 
the  business  of  the  society,  so  long  as  necessity  shall  require ; 
and  said  Gilbert  may  sell  out  his  merchandise  now  on  hand, 
but  is  to  make  no  new  importation."  In  addition  it  was 
agreed  that  the  Star  should  not  again  be  published,  nor  a 
press  set  up,  in  the  county;  and  that  Partridge  and  Phelps 
be  "allowed  to  go  and  come,  in  order  to  transact  and  wind 
up  their  business."  The  mob  committee,  on  their  side, 
pledged  themselves  "to  use  all  their  influence  to  prevent  any 
violence"  provided  the  other  party  complied  with  the  terms 
of  agreement. 

In  the  spell  of  peace  that  followed  this,  the  Saints  sent 
Oliver  Cowdery  to  Ohio  to  consult  with  the  Prophet  respect- 
ing the  best  course  to  pursue  in  the  situation.  It  was  there  de- 
cided that  the  brethren  in  Missouri  should  petition  the  Gover- 
nor, Daniel  Dunklin,  for  redress  and  protection.  Accord- 
ingly, a  petition  was  prepared,  setting  forth  the  grievances 
of  the  "Mormon"  people  in  Jackson  county  and  asking  the 
Governor  "to  raise  by  express  proclamation  or  otherwise,  a 
sufficient  number  of  troops,  who,  with  us,  may  be  empow- 
ered to  defend  our  rights  that  we  may  sue  for  damages  for 
the  loss  of  property,  for  abuse  for  defamation,  as  to  our- 
selves, and  if  advisable  try  for  treason  against  the  govern- 
ment." Orson  Hyde  and  William  W.  Phelps  took  this  peti- 
tion, which  was  signed  by  all  the  members  of  the  Church  in 
Jackson  county,  to  the  Governor  at  Jefferson  City.  But  the 
Chief  executive,  in  his  reply,  declared  that  he  "was  not  will- 
ing to  persuade  himself  that  any  portion  of  the  citizens  of  the 
state  of  Missouri"  were  so  lost  to  a  sense  of  right  "as  to  re- 
quire the  exercise  of  force."  He  therefore  advised  the  peti- 
tioners "to  make  a  trial  of  the  efficacy  of  the  laws,"  assuring 
them,  however,  that  in  the  event  of  their  not  being  able  to 
obtain  the  necessary  protection,  he  would,  when  the  fact  was 


ZION    IS    FLED  177 

"officially  notified  to"  him,  "take  such  steps  as  will  enforce 
a  faithful  execution  of"  the  laws.  "No  citizen,"  he  further 
stated,  "nor  number  of  citizens,  have  a  right  to  take  the  re- 
dress of  their  grievances,  whether  real  or  imaginary,  into 
their  own  hands." 

In  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  Governor  Dunk- 
lin, the  Saints  made  preparations  for  securing  the  necessary 
protection  from  the  law  courts.  They  engaged  the  services 
of  Attorneys  Wood,  Reese,  Doniphan,  and  Atchison,  a  law 
firm  in  Clay  county.  As  the  court  was  to  convene  on  the 
28th  of  October  some  interesting  developments  were  awaited. 

Meanwhile,  the  mob  element  had  been  threatening  the 
Saints  with  serious  trouble  in  case  they  appealed  for  aid  to 
the  Governor  or  planted  any  suits  against  any  of  them  dur- 
ing the  ensuing  court  period.  But  the  brethren  had  gone 
on  undaunted  by  these  threats  to  do  both  of  these  things. 
When,  however,  this  firm  of  lawyers  was  engaged  to  con- 
duct the  legal  proceedings  against  members  of  the  anti- 
" Mormon"  gang,  there  appeared  indications  of  further  vio- 
lence between  the  two  parties, 

A  Resort  to  Arms. 

On  the  night  of  October  31st,  a  mob  force  attacked  the 
Whitmer  settlement,  on  the  Big  Blue,  about  ten  miles  west 
of  Independence,  severely  whipped  a  number  of  men,  fright- 
ened women  and  children  so  that  they  ran  in  every  direction, 
and  unroofed  ten  or  twelve  houses.  On  the  following  night, 
Nov.  1st,  Independence  was  attacked,  houses  were  stoned, 
and  the  "Mormon"  store  broken  into  and  the  goods  scattered 
in  the  street.  Several  of  the  brethren,  hearing  of  this  sec- 
ond attack,  came  to  the  rescue.  They  caught  one  of  the 
mobbers — McCarty  by  name,  who  was  bolder  than  the  rest, 
for  he  remained  while  the  others  fled — in  the  act  of  destrov- 
ing  the  property.     They  took  him  to  Justice  Weston,  with 


178  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

the  request  that  a  warrant  be  issued  for  his  arrest ;  but  the 
judge  refused,  and  so  the  man  was  set  free.  After  this,  it 
may  be  interesting  to  note,  a  warrant  was  made  out  against 
these  same  brethren  for  assault  and  battery  on  the  person  of 
McCarty,  and  false  imprisonment,  on  which  they  were  actu- 
ally tried  and  imprisoned !  On  this  night  another  attack  was 
planned  on  the  Saints,  at  Kaw  Township,  but  the  capture 
and  detention  of  the  spies  by  the  brethren,  prevented  the  pro- 
posed disturbance. 

The  "Mormons,"  hopeless  as  to  any  outside  aid  coming 
to  them,  now  began  to  arm  themselves  for  defense.  The 
mob  forces  became  bolder  and  more  violent.  A  second  at- 
tack was  made  on  the  branch  on  the  Big  Blue.  David  Ben- 
net  was  beaten  and  shot  while  lying  sick  in  bed.  This  fact 
coming  to  the  ears  of  nineteen  of  the  "Mormons,"  who  were 
not  far  off,  they  hastened  to  the  scene,  whereupon  a  skir- 
mish occurred,  in  which  one  of  the  mobbers  was  shot.  At 
this  point  in  the  difficulties,  Parley  P.  Pratt  and  some  others 
were  despatched  to  Lexington  for  a  peace  warrant  from 
Circuit  Judge  Ryland,  but  Ryland  refused  to  grant  one,  ad- 
vising them  "to  fight  and  kill  the  outlaws  whenever  they 
made  any  attacks." 

Monday,  Nov.  4th,  was  "the  bloody  day"  which  the  Mis- 
sourians  had  threatened  the  previous  Saturday.  On  this 
day  a  collision  occurred  between  them  and  about  thirty 
"Mormons."  A  skirmish  followed,  in  which  several  on  both 
sides  were  wounded.  One  of  the  brethren,  Andrew  Barber, 
was  mortally  wounded,  dying  next  day.  Two  of  the  mob 
were  killed,  Thomas  Linville  and  H.  L.  Brazeale,  the  latter 
of  whom  had  boasted  that  with  ten  more  like  himself  he 
would  wade  to  his  knees  in  blood,  but  he  would  drive  the 
"Mormons"  from  Jackson  county. 

Excitement  now  became  intense.  Lientenant-Governor 
Boggs  called  out  the  militia,  which  consisted  of  the  very  men 


ZION    IS    FLED  179 

who  had  taken  part  all  along  in  these  attacks  upon  the 
Saints ;  so  that  now  the  mob  was  legalized  and  better  pre- 
pared to  accomplish  its  object.  Through  a  misunderstand- 
ing, Lyman  Wight  with  about  one  hundred  of  the  brethren 
came  towards  Independence  where  the  militia  was  stationed 
under  Lucas  and  Pitcher,  two  of  the  bitterest  anti-"Mor- 
mons"  in  the  country ;  but  the  company  retreated  when  they 
learned  that  no  mob  was  making  an  attack.  It  was  enough, 
however,  that  they  had  been  seen.  The  enraged  Pitcher  de- 
manded that  the  brethren  surrender  their  arms  and  deliver 
up  certain  men,  who  had  been  engaged  in  the  fight  on  the 
preceding  day,  to  be  tried  for  murder.  Wight  refused,  un- 
less Pitcher  would  also  disarm  his  men.  This  was  agreed  to, 
and  Wight's  company  gave  up  their  arms,  forty-nine  guns 
and  one  pistol. 

But  the  other  side  did  not  fulfill  their  part  of  the 
agreement.  Instead,  they  entered  the  Saints'  houses,  beat 
the  men  and  threatened  the  women  and  children,  who  fled 
in  consternation.  Lyman  Wight  was  chased  for  several 
miles  by  a  gang  of  militiamen,  and  endured  much  suffering 
in  consequence  of  lying  out  nights,  and  being#without  food 
or  shelter.  Ministers  and  soldiers  vied  with  each  other  in 
inflaming  the  popular  mind  against  the  "Mormons,"  and  in 
hounding  them  about  upon  the  prairie,  committing  all  sorts 
of  depredations.  A  company  of  one  hundred  and  ninety 
Saints,  all  women  and  children,  except  three  helpless  old 
men,  "were  driven  across  a  burnt  prairie.  The  ground  was 
thinly  crusted  with  sleet,  and  the  trail  of  these  exiles  was 
easily  followed  by  the  blood  which  flowed  from  their  lacer- 
ated feet !"  Thus  were  the  "Mormons"  forced  to  flee  from 
their  homes  in  this  most  unfavorable  season  of  the  year,  lest, 
by.  remaining,  they  should  all  be  cruelly  murdered.  This 
final  act  of  violence  occupied  several  days. 

On  the  seventh  of  November,  says  the  Prophet,  in  his 


180  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

journal,  the  shores  of  the  river  "began  to  be  lined  on  both 
sides  of  the  ferry  with  men,  women,  and  children,  goods, 
wagons,  chests,  provisions,  etc. ;  while  the  ferrymen  were 
busily  employed  in  crossing  them  over;  and  when  night 
again  closed  upon  the  Saints,  the  wilderness  had  much  the 
appearance  of  a  camp-meeting.  Hundreds  of  people  were 
seen  in  the  open  air,  around  their  fires,  while  the  rain  de- 
scended in  torrents.  /lusbands  were  inquiring  for  their 
wives,  and  women  for  their  husbands ;  parents  for  children, 
and  children  for  parents.  Some  had  the  good  fortune  to 
escape  with  their  family,  household  goods,  and  some  pro- 
visions ;  while  others  knew  not  of  the  fate  of  their  friends, 
and  had  lost  all  their  goods.  The  scene  was  indescribable, 
and  would  have  melted  the  hearts  of  any  people  on  earth,  ex- 
cept the  blind  oppressor,  and  prejudiced  and  ignorant  bigot. 
Next  day  the  company  increased  and  they  were  chiefly  en- 
gaged in  felling  small  cottonwood  trees  and  erecting  them 
into  temporary  cabins,  so  that  when  night  came  on,  they 
had  the  appearance  of  a  village  of  wigwams,  and  the  night 
being  clear,  the  occupants  began  to  enjoy  some  degree  of 
comfort."  While  the  Saints  were  encamped  here,  a  won- 
derful meteoric  shower  occurred,  which  frightened  the  mob 
while  it  encouraged  the  Saints. 

As  soon  as  they  could,  this  body  of  "Mormons"  crossed 
the  river,  homeless  and  friendless  and  stripped  of  nearly  all 
their  earthly  possessions,  into  Clay  county,  just  north  of 
Jackson,  trusting  that  their  reception  there  would  be  less  un- 
welcome than  it  had  been  among  the  people  they  were  leav- 
ing, lust  why  they  went  to  Clay  instead  of  some  other  coun- 
ty is,  it  appears,  that  they  had  been  prohibited  from  settling 
in  any  other  of  the  adjacent  counties.  Those  who  had  sought 
refuge  elsewhere  had  been  compelled  either  to  return  or  to 
so  into  the  northern  count  v. 

The  suffering  and  material  loss  sustained  by  the  Saints 


2I0N    IS   FLEO  181 

in  this  Jackson  county  trouble  were  great.  Of  their  hard- 
ships we  have  already  spoken  in  part.  But  this  was  by  no 
means  ended  when  the  main  body  crossed  the  river.  The 
unrelenting  Missourians  did  not  abandon  the  chase  for 
"Mormon"  victims  till  every  one  of  these  had  been  driven 
from  the  county.  At  Independence  two  or  three  old  men 
had  thought  that  their  age  might  shield  them  from  the  bru- 
tality of  their  enemies,  but  they  had  over-estimated  the  hu- 
manity of  the  mob,  for  they  were  beaten  and  turned  out  to 
join  their  fellow-exiles.  "On  November  23rd  the  mob  drove 
out  a  little  settlement  of  some  twenty  families  living  about 
fifteen  miles  from  Independence,  compelling  women  and 
children  to  depart  on  immediate  notice."  As  late  as  Febru- 
ary, 1834,  three  of  the  brethren  who  lingered  obscurely  in 
the  county  were  beaten  over  the  head  with  chairs,  and  af- 
terwards dragged  out  of  their  houses  and  left  for  dead. 
The  loss  of  property,  too,  must  have  been  very  great  on  the 
part  of  this  body  of  more  than  twelve  hundred  persons,  not- 
withstanding they  were  poor.  They  practically  lost  nearly 
all  the  land  for  which  they  had  paid,  and  more  than  two  hun- 
dred houses  which  they  had  built  went  up  in  flames. 


CHAPTER  V 

HOPE  DEFERRED 

Reception  of  the  Exiles. 

The  generous  people  of  Clay  county,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Missouri,  gave  the  exiles  a  temporary  home.  They 
viewed  with  indignation  and  horror  the  outrages  which 
their  Jackson  county  neighbors  had  heaped  upon  the  "Mor- 
mons," and  when  they  saw  these  homeless  wanderers  stripped 
of  their  property  and  sent  ruthlessly  forth  to  seek  a  less 
inhospitable  resting  place,  their  hearts  were  touched. 

Not  that  the  inhabitants  of  Clay  entertained'  any  love  for 
the  "Mormons,"  but  rather  because  they  disliked  them  less 
than  their  bloody-minded  neighbors.  Practically  the  same 
class  of  people  had  settled  this  that  occupied  the  southern 
county;  but  there  were  more  honorable  men  to  guide  pub- 
lic sentiment  in  the  former  place.  It  has  ever  been  thus 
in  the  history  of  the  Saints.  Whenever  they  have  suffered 
persecution,  it  has  been  because  a  few  designing  men,  wheth- 
er ministers  or  politicians,  have  incited  the  blind  and  ignor- 
ant zeal  of  the  people  to  the  commission  of  deeds  which 
their  own  baseness  conceived,  but  which  they  would  hesitate 
to  commit.  In  Jackson  the  chief  officers  of  the  county — in 
deed,  nearly  all  of  them  were  implicated, — assisted  by  the 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  State  and  the  jealous  ministry, 
who  could  unite  only  on  such  a  proposition  as  this,  were  the 
real  instigators  of  this  piece  of  barbarity.  But  these  leaders 
did  not,  with  few  exceptions,  execute  their  designs.  This 
they  left  for  the  irresponsible  common  people  to  do.  So  that 
if  any  harm  threatened  them,  each,  like  Macbeth,  could  de- 
clare, "Thou  canst  not  say  I  did  it !"    But  it  was  different  in 


HOPE  DEFERRED  183 

Clay  county.  Here  there  were  at  least  a  few  honorable  men 
who  shrank  from  these  deeds  of  bloodguiltiness,  and  who 
had  the  manhood  to  step  forward  to  guide  public  opinion.  It 
was  these  men  who,  as  we  shall  see  later,  adjusted  the  diffi- 
culties that  arose  subsequently  between  the  Saints  and 
their  neighbors  in  the  county,  and  prevented  thereby  a  rep- 
etition of  the  scenes  of  violence  that  had  occurred  in  Jack- 
son. 

So  the  Saints  found  here  a  temporary  resting-place. 
Every  vacant  house  in  the  county  was  given  over  to  the  ex- 
iles. The  men  were  employed  on  the  farms,  and,  indeed,  at 
every  other  form  of  work  to  which  they  could  put  their 
hands.  Some  of  the  women  taught  school,  others  obtained 
employment  in  the  families  of  the  well-to-do  farmers.  The 
Saints  generally,  having  been  plundered  of  their  property, 
were  in  almost  utter  destitution.  In  this  way,  however,  they 
sought,  not  without  joy,  to  retrieve  their  fortunes.  Some 
rented  farms,  some  who  could  afford  it  bought  small  pieces 
of  land;  and  thus,  by  continuous  industry,  it  was  not  long 
till  they  were  pretty  well  recovered  from  their  sad  plight. 

But  what  was  of  benefit  to  the  Saints  materially,  ap- 
peared likely  to  prove  their  undoing  spiritually.  They  were 
in  a  scattered  condition ;  and  one  great  source  of  unity  in 
"Mormonism"  is  social  intercourse.  Here  families  were  brok- 
en up,  children  having  gone  almost  from  under  the  charge 
of  the  parents.  So  that  family  prayers  and  those  other  sa- 
cred ceremonies  of  the  hearth  could  not  be  readily  attended 
to.  Then  they  were  unable,  except  in  a  few  cases  where  small 
cottage  meetings  were  held,  to  meet  with  their  leaders,  min- 
gle freely  with  their  brethren  and  sisters,  and  partake  of  the 
sacrament.  Hence  they  were  almost  from  under  the  influ- 
ence, too,  of  the  authorities  of  the  Church.  Of  course,  thev 
were  bound  together  by  a  common  faith,  and  by  persecution 
which  all  had  endured  alike  with  patience  and  fortitude.   But, 


184  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

after  all,  the  marvel  is,  not  that  the  Saints  grew  careless 
with  respect  to  their  religious,  duties,  but  rather  that  they 
did  not  altogether  forget  these  duties, cast  aside  their  religion 
as  a  constant  source  of  grief  and  persecution,  and  become  ut- 
terly lost  among  their  surroundings.  Herein  consists  one 
of  the  indications  of  the  strange  and  mysterious  powers 
which  this  religion  exerts  over  the  lives  of  its  adherents. 

This  scene,  and  others  similar  to  it,  exhibit  in  part 
"the  real  miracle"  of  "Mormonism."  Here  were  twelve  hun- 
dred people  of  diverse  ancestry  and  training,  living  almost 
upon  the  kindness  of  their  new-found  friends  till,  as  they 
hoped,  they  should  be  restored  to  their  homes  and  property, 
from  which  they  had  been  unjustly  and  cruelly  expelled, 
after  having  so  long  looked  forward  to  this  as  a  land  of 
promise  to  them — here  were  these  men  and  women  refusing 
to  give  up  their  religion  or  their  hopes  in  a  future  Zion.  They 
might  have  turned  against  their  faith  and  exclaimed :  "Our 
creed  is  the  sole  cause  of  our  calamities.  Before  we  knew 
it,  we  were  at  peace  with  the  world.  Now  every  man's 
hand  is  turned  against  us.  We  have  forfeited  our  good 
names  among  our  friends ;  we  are  vilified ;  we  have  been 
robbed  of  all  that  our  hands  have  hardly  earned.  We  had 
hoped  to  find  in  Jackson  county  a  permanent  home,  a  land 
of  peace,  a  place  of  safety.  Instead,  we  found  a  sword  and 
exile.  Our  hopes  have  turned  to  gall  and  wormwood.  Let 
us  therefore  abandon  this  faith.  We  will  no  longer  believe 
in  new  revelation,  in  the  miraculous  character  of  the  Nephite 
Record,  in  the  divine  mission  of  the  modern  Prophet,  or  in 
the  delusive  hopes  of  this  Promised  Land.  Then  our  good 
names  will  come  back  to  us  ;  we  shall  regain  our  homes  ;  we 
shall  again  live  at  peace  with  men."  But  they  did  not  do  this. 
Perhaps  even  the  thought  of  doing  it  did  not  occur  to  them ; 
or,  if  it  did,  they  thrust  it  away  as  treason  to  God  and  the 
cause  of  Truth.    The  whole  circumstance,  therefore,  exhibits 


HOPE  DEFERRED  185 

a  faith  such  as  the  world  has  rarely  witnessed.  Truly, 
"Mormonism"  is  a  religion  of  power  and  vitality! 

In  accepting  the  hospitality  of  these  kind  people,  how- 
ever, the  Saints  had  no  intention  of  remaining  in  Clay 
county  permanently.  There  is  no  reason,  however,  why  they 
should  not  have  stayed  there  if  they  were  so  disposed.  In  a 
free  country  like  ours,  where  the  rights  of  the  people  are 
protected  in  every  State,  there  could  not  be  the  slightest  legal 
or  moral  objection  to  their  permanent  settlement  there,  so 
long  as  they  did  not  interfere  with  the  rights  of  those  who 
were  already  in  the  county.  But  the  Saints  had  not  the  least 
intention  of  remaining  there.  They  fully  expected  to  be  re- 
stored to  their  homes  in  Jackson  county. 

There  are  two  things  that  go  to  show  this.  In  the  first 
place,  there  was  to  them  a  sacredness  in  the  land  of  Inde- 
pendence which  forbade  them  ever  to  think  of  leaving  it. 
To  them  it  was  the  Land  of  Promise,  the  place  where  the 
New  Jerusalem  will  be  built.  The  very  thought  of  leaving 
this  sacred  land  was  painful  in  the  extreme.  Whatever  op- 
position, therefore,  manifested  itself  here,  they  must  not  for- 
sake Zion.  In  the  next  place,  they  fully  expected  the  gov- 
ernment, either  state  or  national,  to  restore  them  to  their 
homes.  They  did  no  suppose  that  the  state  or  nation  would 
see  twelve  hundred  people  robbed  and  driven  from  their 
homes,  without  making  an  effort  to  set  things  right.  In  this 
matter,  however,  they  were  mistaken.  They  were  destined, 
not  only  not  to  return  to  their  Zion,  but  to  be  driven  from 
the  State  where  their  hopes  centered,  far  away  from  the 
scenes  of  violence  and  bloodshed  in  Missouri ;  and  were, 
moreover,  to  see  that  there  was  insufficient  justice  and  honor 
in  the  State  to  give  them  back  the  property  which  a  lawless 
band  of  plunderers  had  taken  from  them. 

With  this  hope  of  soon  returning  to  their  homes,  the 
Saints  set  about  manfully  to  secure  that  return. 


i86  ON  hi  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONlSM 

At  the  Feet  of  Judge,  Governor,  and  President. 
The  State  officials,  when  they  heard  of  these  "outrageous 
acts  of  unparalleled  violence,"  seemed  anxious  to  reinstate 
the  Saints  in  their  homes.  R.  W.  Wells,  the  attorney-gen- 
eral, corresponded  with  the  attorneys  of  the  Church  upon  the 
subject.  He  informed  them  that  if  the  Saints  desired  to  re- 
turn, the  State  militia  would  be  called  out  for  that  purpose. 
He  suggested,  also,  that  the  Saints  organize  themselves 
into  a  company  of  militia,  and  that,  if  they  applied  soon 
enough  they  might  obtain  State  arms.  These  were  most 
likely  the  sentiments  also  of  the  Governor ;  for  he  and  Wells 
had  been  in  consultation  over  the  matter,  and  besides,  he 
had  requested  Judge  Ryland  to  furnish  him  with  informa- 
tion concerning  the  actions  of  the  mob.  The  judge  ex- 
pressed his  willingness  to  have  the  guilty  ones  brought  to 
trial,  if  the  Saints  would  prefer  the  charges,  which  they  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  do.  According  to  the  expressed  wishes  of 
the  Saints,  the  court  of  inquiry  was  postponed  till  the  reg- 
ular term. 

Meantime,  in  December,  they  prepared  a  petition  to  the 
Governor  in  which  they  set  forth,  in  great  detail,  the  wrongs 
which  they  had  suffered  and  prayed  to  be  reinstated  in  their 
homes,  and,  when  reinstated  to  be  protected  by  a  detach- 
ment of  troops.  This  latter  step,  they  reasoned,  would  be 
necessary  in  order  that  they  might  not  be  driven  again.  To 
this  the  Governor  replied  that  he  was  willing  to  take  steps 
towards  resettling  them  upon  their  lands  but  did  not  have 
power  to  keep  troops  near  to  protect  them  from  further  vio- 
lence. They  had  the  right  he  said,  to  arm  themselves  at  the 
expense  of  the  State,  when  organized  into  a  company  of 
State  militia.  His  reasoning  in  this  matter  of  his  lack  of 
power  to  protect  the  Saints,  appears  rather  fallacious ;  for 
the  laws  of  the  State  expressly  gave  the  Governor  power,  "in 
case  of  actual  or  threatened  invasion,  insurrection,  or  war, 


HOPE  DEFERRED  •    187 

or  public  danger,  or  other  emergency,  to  call  forth  into  ac- 
tual service  such  portion  of  the  militia  as  he  may  deem  expe- 
dient." But  he  chose,  for  some  reason,  to  interpret  this  to 
mean  merely  calling  them  out,  not  retaining  them  in  actual 
service. 

In  February  the  circuit  court  convened  at  Independence. 
The  Saints,  according  to  Judge  Ryland's  request,  had  pre- 
ferred charges  against  certain  citizens  of  Jackson  county, 
and  twelve  leading  elders  had  been  subpoenaed  as  State 
witnesses.  With  a  strong  guard,  under  the  comand  of 
Captain  Atchison,  they  went  to  Independence  and  lodged  in 
the  "Block  House."  Here  Mr.  Willis,  who  had  been  sent 
by  the  Governor  to  assist  the  circuit  attorney,  and  Mr.  Reese 
waited  upon  the  brethren  after  considerable  delay  and  quiet- 
ly informed  them  that  there  was  no  further  reason  to  hope 
for  criminal  procedure  against  the  mob.  Both  men  had 
manifestly  got  under  the  influence  of  the  mobbers.  Soon 
afterwards  Captain  Atchison  received  orders  to  remove  his 
guard,  because  they  were  no  longer  needed.  Thus  ended 
the  only  effort  on  the  part  of  Missouri  officials  to  execute  the 
law  and  redress  the  wrongs  of  the  Saints.  They  were,  for 
the  most  part,  very  profuse  in  expressions  of  patriotic  senti- 
ments ;  they  had  telling  words  of  eulogy  for  the  laws  of  the 
State  and  the  rights  of  the  people ;  but  they  lacked  either  the 
desire  or  the  moral  courage  to  put  those  high-flown  senti- 
ments into  action  that  would  relieve  the  oppressed  and 
vindicate  the  law  by  punishing  the  guilty. 

These  efforts  failing,  the  Lord  instructed  the  exiled 
Saints  to  petition  the  Governor  of  the  State  and  also  the 
President  of  the  United  States.  They  therefore  prepared 
another  petition  to  the  Governor,  enclosing  a  copy  of  the 
revelation  (section  101)  concerning  the  redemption  of  Zion. 
But  nothing  ever  came  of  their  letter.  They  did  likewise  in 
their  petition  to  the  President.     They  related  to  him  the 


188  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

wrongs  which  they  had  suffered  in  Jackson  county,  the  at- 
tempts which  they  had  made  to  obtain  redress,  and  the  result 
of  these  attempts.  In  their  letter  they  enclosed  the  reply  of 
Governor  Dunklin  concerning  his  lack  of  authority  in  the 
matter  of  protecting  the  Saints.  In  May  they  were  told  that 
the  offenses  of  which  they  complained  were  violations  of 
State  laws,  not  laws  of  the  United  States ;  and  therefore  the 
general  government  could  do  nothing  for  them. 

One  more  thought  gave  hope  to  the  Saints.  The  legis- 
lature might  act.  When  that  body  met,  the  Governor,  in  his 
message,  called  attention  to  the  Jackson  county  outrages,  and 
suggested  that  it  was  for  them  to  do  what  they  thought  best 
in  the  matter.  The  Saints  petitioned  the  legislature  to  pass 
a  law  reinstating  them  in  their  homes  and  protecting  them 
when  reinstated.  But  the  law-makers  took  no  heed  of  the 
petition  or  the  Governor's  message  on  this  point.  Thus  every 
shred  of  hope  was  snatched  from  the  weary  and  homeless 
Saints. 

Z ion's  Camp. 

No ;  not  every  shred.  There  was  one  remaining.  The  Lord 
had  commanded  them  to  entreat,  one  after  another,  the  heads 
of  government,  state  and  national,  and  if  they  failed  to  get 
redress  for  their  wrongs,  he  declared  that  he  would  "come 
forth  out  of  his  hiding-place,  and  in  his  fury  vex  the  na- 
tion." In  February,  1834,  the  Lord  had  commanded  Joseph 
to  call  the  young  and  middle-aged  men  in  the  Church  to  go 
up  to  Missouri  and  redeem  Zion.  Surely,  if  this  should  fail, 
there  need  be  entertained  no  further  hope  of  a  reinstatement 
till  a  remote  period. 

In  the  same  month  steps  were  taken  to  fulfill  this  reve- 
lation. Joseph  and  other  leading  brethren  went  to  the  vari- 
ous eastern  branches  of  the  Church  advocating  this  move- 
ment.    They  rehearsed  graphically  the  persecutions  of  the 


HOPE  DEFERRED  189 

Saints  in  Missouri,  and  advised  the  young  and  middle-aged 
men  to  help  in  the  redemption  of  Zion.  Portage,  a  small 
town  about  fifty  miles  from  Kirtland,  was  appointed  as  the 
gathering  place.  Thither  all  who  desired  to  enlist  were  sent 
to  await  the  day  of  starting.  Early  in  May,  1834,  a  com- 
pany of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  with  wagons  filled 
with  provisions  for  their  journey  as  well  as  for  the  relief  of 
the  destitute  Saints  in  Missouri,  departed  for  the  land  of 
Zion.  This  number  was  increased  to  two  hundred  by  the 
time  the  company  reached  Missouri. 

It  must  have  been  a  strange  sight,  this  body  of  armed, 
men  in  time  of  peace,  silent  and  reserved,  marching  in  order- 
ly procession,  with  their  wagon-loads  of  provisions  through 
Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois  towards  the  West.  The  strictest 
order  was  maintained  throughout.  Regularly  at  the  sound- 
ing of  the  trumpet  the  various  companies  knelt  to  pray,  had 
breakfast,  and  began  the  march ;  and  this  trumpet  sounded 
the  orders  during  the  day.  Every  man  kept  absolutely  mute 
respecting  their  destiny  or  identity,  whenever  the  curious 
spectators  ventured  to  inquire.  Once  or  twice  they  were 
threatened  with  violence,  and  attempts  were  made  to  prevent 
them  from  passing  on  their  journey ;  but  on  they  went  un- 
dismayed, with  the  same  silence  and  order. 

This  was  the  appearance  to  those  who  looked  on.  With 
in,  the  situation  was  not  so  cheering.  Dissension  arose. 
Sylvester  Smith  and  Lyman  Wight  attempted  to  divide  the 
camp,  but  were  unsuccessful,  except  in  that  thev  enter- 
tained, or  caused  others  to  entertain,  feelings  not  in  harmony 
with  the  spirit  of  their  mission.  Once  Smith  childishly  refused 
to  divide  his  food  with  some  of  the  brethren.  At  another  time 
both  men  tried  to  introduce  discord  over  a  question  as  to 
whether  they  should  or  should  not  camp  close  to  timber. 
Considerable  bad  feelings  at  one  time  and  another,  were 
manifested  over  the  most  trivial  matters.     Joseph  reproved 


190  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMON  ISM 

the  discontented  brethren.  He  told  them  that  a  scourge 
would  come  upon  the  camp  in  consequence  of  which  they 
"should  die  like  sheep  with  the  rot."  This  prophecy,  as  we 
shall  see,  was  fulfilled  with  frightful  literalness. 

Upon  reaching  Salt  River,  the  camp  despatched  Parley 
P.  Pratt  and  Orson  Hyde  to  call  upon  Governor  Dunklin  and 
ask  for  a  military  force  sufficient  to  reinstate  the  Saints  in 
their  homes.  In  the  interview  which  these  brethren  had 
with  the  chief  executive,  the  Governor  expressed  himself  as 
being  convinced  that  the  Saints  had  been  unjustly  dealt  with 
in  the  Jackson  county  courts,  but  feared  to  excite  civil  war 
by  calling  out  any  force  to  aid  the  camp.  He  advised  that 
the  exiled  Saints  sell  their  lands  to  their  persecutors.  "We 
will  hold  no  terms,"  exclaimed  the  irate  brethren,  "with  land 
pirates  and  murderers !"     This  was  in  June. 

The  Prophet  heard  the  report  of  the  brethren  on  their 
return.  The  camp  approached  Richmond,  through  the 
streets  of  which  they  passed  in  the  quiet  of  daybreak,  owing 
to  threats  that  had  been  made  during  the  previous  day.  They 
intended  to  reach  Clay  county  late  in  the  day,  but  night 
found  them  encamped  between  two  forks  of  Fishing  river. 

Meanwhile,  the  enemies  of  the  Saints  were  not  idle. 
Hearing  of  Zion's  Camp,  they  determined  to  prevent  the  ful- 
filment of  its  mission.  A  company  of  two  hundred  of  the 
old-time  mob  had  been  organized  in  Jackson  county  to  go 
against  "Joe  Smith's  army."  At  the  fords  of  Fishing  river 
this  band  was  to  be  joined  by  a  party  of  sixty  from  Rich- 
mond and  by  another  of  seventy  from  Clay  county.  Five 
men  rode,  in  the  evening,  into  the  camp  of  the  Saints,  and 
with  profane  insolence  informed  the  brethren  that  they 
would  "catch  hell  before  morning." 

But  a  furious  rain  storm  prevented  their  evil  work.  At 
sundown  there  was  observed  a  small  cloud  in  the  sky,  which 
grew  darker  and  larger  as  the  evening  fell.     "In  twenty 


HOPE   DEFERRED  191 

minutes  the  whole  heavens  were  inky-blackness,  which  now 
and  then  seemed  to  split  by  the  vivid  streams  of  lightning." 
Big  trees  were  wrenched  from  the  "firm  set  earth ;"  large 
hail  stones  mowed  down  all  vegetation;  and  Fishing  river 
rose  forty  feet  during  the  night.  The  proposed  union  of  the 
mob  did  not,  therefore,  occur ;  for  these  forces  were  violent- 
ly and  suddenly  dispersed.  A  boat-load  of  forty  mobocrats, 
however,  suffered  the  bitter  pelting  of  the  rain  ail  night. 
Thus  the  plans  of  the  mob  came  to  nothing,  and  thus  was 
the  hand  of  God  manifested  to  protect  His  servants. 

Next  day,  the  camp  having  moved  to  a  better  situation, 
Colonel  Sconce  and  two  other  leading  men  in  Ray  county 
came  into  the  camp.  He  was  one  of  the  number  who  had 
entertained  evil  designs  on  Zion's  camp.  He  frankly  con- 
fessed his  belief  that  there  was  "an  Almighty  power  with 
this  people.  Joseph  told  them  the  extent  to  which  the 
Saints  had  innocently  suffered,  and  the  object  which  the 
camp  of  Zion  had  in  coming  all  this  distance.  The  Colonel 
and  his  companions  departed  with  a  promise  to  correct  as 
far  as  they  were  able,  the  false  impressions  that  were  out 
respecting  the  intentions  of  Zion's  army. 

Attempts  at  Arbitration. 

The  next  day  Cornelius  Gillium,  the  sheriff  of  Clay  county, 
had  an  interview  with  the  Prophet,  in  which  he  elicited  the 
followng  facts  respecting  the  object  of  Joseph  and  his 
companions.  It  was  the  purpose  to  reinstate  the  Saints  in 
their  lands  in  Jackson  county,  by  order  of  the  chief  executive 
of  the  state,  if  that  could  be  obtained.*     They  were  per- 


*"He  [Jesse  Smith]  left  this  place  the  5th  of  May,  last,  in 
company  with  myself  and  several  others,  with  the  intention  of 
purchasing  land  in  the  Western  country;  and  also  of  sending  as- 
sistance to  the  innocent  and  afflicted." — Joseph  Smith,  the 
Prophet,  in  an  unpublished  letter,  dater  Kirtland,  Ohio,  Aug.  16, 
1834,  to  Elias  Smith,  his  uncle,  informing  him  of  his  son's  death 
in  Missouri,  in  Zion's  Camp. 


192  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

fectly  willing  for  "twelve  disinterested  men,  six  to  be  chosen 
by  each  party,"  to  arbitrate  the  difficulty  between  the  Saints 
and  their  enemies  in  Jackson  county.  They  expressed 
themselves  as  being  of  peaceful  intentions.  These  facts 
were  published  over  the  signatures  of  six  brethren,  including 
Joseph. 

Before  this,  arbitration  as  a  means  of  adjusting  matters, 
had  been  suggested.  The  Governor  had  recommended  such 
an  adjustment  of  affairs,  having  advised  the  Saints  to  sell 
their  lands  and  move  elsewhere.  So  that  this  way  of  settling 
the  trouble  was  much  discussed  even  before  the  camp  of 
Zion  had  reached  Missouri. 

But  justice  for  the  Saints  from  their  old  neighbors  was 
out  of  the  question.  On  the  sixteenth  of  June  about  one 
thousand  people  met  at  Liberty  to  inquire  into  the  matter  of 
peaceably  adjusting  their  difficulties  with  the  people  of  Jack- 
son county.  A  committee  from  Jackson  county  proposed  the 
following:  The  old  settlers  will  buy  the  lands  of  the  "Mor- 
mons" with  the  improvements  thereon,  the  value  to  be  de- 
termined by  three  arbitrators  chosen  by  each  party.  Twelve 
"Mormons"  are  to  go  with  the  arbitrators  to  show  them  the 
land,  and  any  other  "Mormons"  may  go  whom  the  arbitrat- 
ors may  desire  to  ask,  the  people  of  Jackson  to  guarantee 
entire  safety  to  the  "Mormons"  so  acting.  Then,  after  the 
report  of  the  committee,  the  people  of  Jackson  county  will 
pay  to  the  "Mormons"  the  value  of  land  and  improvements 
with  one  hundred  per  cent,  added  thereon,  within  thirty  days 
provided  the  "Mormons"  agree  not  to  settle  in  the  county 
thereafter.  Or,  the  Saints  might  buy  the  land  in  Jackson 
county  under  the  same  conditions.  The  meeting,  at  which 
there  were  a  number  of  brethren,  broke  up  in  confusion. 
The  delegation  from  Jackson  county  were  answered,  before 
leaving  Liberty,  that  they  should  know  definitely  by  the 
twentieth  whether  the  Saints  would  buy  or  sell. 


HOPE  DEFERRED  193 

As  the  delegation  were  on  their  way  home,  one  of  the 
leaders  named  Campbell,  was  heard  to  say:  "The  eagles 
and  buzzards  shall  eat  my  flesh,  if  I  don't  fix  Joe  Smith  and 
his  army  so  that  their  skins  won't  hold  shucks  before  two 
days  are  passed."  And  the  "eagles  and  buzzards"  did  eat 
his  flesh;  for,  in  crossing  the  river  the  boat  sank  like  so 
much  lead,  though  the  river  was  perfectly  calm.  At  least 
seven  out  of  about  twelve  were  drowned.  Campbell's  body 
was  found,  three  weeks  afterwards,  on  a  pile  of  driftwood, 
with  the  flesh  half  eaten. 

When  the  proposition  made  by  the  Jackson  county  dele- 
gation was  laid  before  the  Saints,  it  was  rejected  by  them. 
On  its  face  it  was  feasible  enough.  But  it  in  reality  required 
them  to  surrender  their  rights  as  American  citizens.  More- 
over, the  Saints  clung,  and  were  willing  always  to  cling,  to 
the  thought  that  the  land  of  Zion  was  sacred  to  them ;  it  was 
the  direct  gift  of  God.  As  to  buying  the  land  of  their  ene- 
mies, everyone  knew  that  this  was  impossible,  on  account  of 
the  poverty  of  the  Saints.  They  proposed,  however,  that 
twelve  disinterested  persons  should  decide  upon  the  valua- 
tion of  the  property  of  such  persons  as  would  not  live  with 
the  "Mormons,"  and  that  these  same  men  determine  the  loss 
sustained  by  the  latter  in  the  persecutions,  the  second  amount 
to  be  deducted  from  the  first.  To  this  the  Jackson  county 
people  would  not  consent.  And  here  the  matter  of  "arbitra- 
tion" ended,  and  the  Saints  were  to  lose  everything. 

A  Prophecy  Fulfilled. 

And  so  Zion  was  not  redeemed.  After  the  departure  of 
Gillium  from  the  camp  of  Zion's  army,  the  Lord  revealed  the 
reason  of  this  failure.  Zion  might  have  been  redeemed  even 
now,  said  the  Lord,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  transgression 
of  my  people. 

And  Zion's  Camp  disbanded,  but  not  before  the  scourge, 


194  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

predicted  by  the  Prophet,  had  fallen  upon  them  in  terrible 
judgment.  The  scourge  was  the  cholera.  It  was  about  the 
middle  of  June  when  it  appeared.  Sixty-eight  of  the  breth- 
ren were  attacked  during  the  week.  Joseph  and  Hyrum.  in 
trying  to  turn  away  the  judgment  of  God,  were  themselves 
taken  down  with  it.  Sidney  Gilbert,  who,  while  in  perfect 
health,  had  declared  to  the  Prophet,  a  few  hours  before,  that 
he  would  rather  die  than  go  on  a  mission,  was  stricken  with 
the  fell  disease,  and  died  in  horrible  agony.  Finally,  the 
scourge  was  turned  away  and  the  camp  of  Israel  was  again 
well,  after  suffering  an  affliction  under  which  the  righteous 
were  touched  as  the  less  worthy  had  been. 

In  having  thus  to  forsake  their  homes  and  having  their 
hopes  in  the  redemption  of  Zion  blighted,  the  Saints  have  not 
ceased  to  look  forward  to  the  time  when  they  shall  enjoy  the 
land  of  peace,  and  when  all  the  purposes  of  the  Lord  respect- 
ing the  land  shall  be  accomplished.  Though  their  hopes  for 
the  immediate  redemption  of  Zion  were  blighted,  these  hopes 
served  only  as  precursors  to  a  brighter  and  more  enduring 
hope.  And  the  Saints  are  still  looking  forward  to  Zion  in 
Jackson  county,  Missouri.  Recently,  the  promise  of  the 
Lord  to  redeem  the  land  of  Zion  "by  money  and  not  by  the 
shedding  of  blood"  began  its  realization  in  the  purchase  by 
the  Church  of  twenty-six  and  three-fourths  acres  of  the  orig- 
inal sixtv-three  owned  bv  the  Church  in  1831. 


CHAPTER  VI 


IN   SPIRIT  AND   IN   TRUTH 


We  return  now  to  Kirtland.  During  the  time  occupied  by 
the  events  which  we' have  related  in  the  two  preceding  chap- 
ters, great  things  were  occurring  at  the  Ohio  town,  in  com- 
pensation, as  it  appears,  for  the  distress  in  connection  with 
the  now  departed  Zion. 

Some  Further  Organizations. 

On  the  17th  of  February,  1834,  fifty-eight  persons — twenty- 
four  high  priests,  including  the  First  Presidency,  seventeen 
elders,  four  priests,  and  thirteen  members — met  at  the  home 
of  the  Prophet.  The  high  priests  present,  with  Joseph  at 
the  head,  "proceeded  to  organize  the  High  Council  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  which  was  to  consist  of  twelve  High 
Priests,  and  one  or  three  Presidents,  as  the  case  might  re- 
quire." The  purpose  of  this  organization  was  expressed  to 
be  to  settle  "important  difficulties  which  might  arise  in  the 
Church,  which  could  not  be  settled  by  the  Church  or  the 
Bishop's  council  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  parties."  The 
following  high  priests  were  chosen  to  constitute  this  first 
high  council :  Joseph  Smith,  Sen.,  John  Smith,  Joseph 
Coe,  John  Johnson,  Martin  Harris,  John  S.  Carter,  Jared 
Carter,  Oliver  Cowdery,  Samuel  H.  Smith,  Orson  Hyde, 
Sylvester  Smith,  and  Luke  Johnson. 

At  this  meeting  the  details  of  procedure  at  trials  were 
determined  upon.  The  Prophet  Joseph  was  President,  with 
Sidney  Rigdon  and  Frederick  G.  Williams  as  his  counselors. 
The  President  might  act  alone  in  the  absence  of  the  other 
two,  or  both  or  either  of  them  might  act  in  the  absence  of 


196  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

the  President.     Vacancies  in  the  high  council,  whether  by 
death,  removal,  or  transgression,  were  to  be  filled  "by  nom- 
ination of  the  President  or  Presidents,  and  sanctioned  by 
the  voice  of  a  general  council  of  High  Priests,  convened  for 
that  purpose,  to  act  in  the  name  of  the  Church."    It  was  de- 
cided as  the  duty  of  the  high  council,  wherever  organized 
regularly,  "to  cast  lots  by  numbers,  and  thereby  ascertain, 
who  of  the  twelve  shall  speak  first,  commencing  with  num- 
ber one,  and  so  in  succession  to  number  twelve."   If  the  case 
before  them  be  not  difficult,  and  this  is  to  be  decided  by  the 
twelve  councilors,  two  only  shall  be  appointed  to  speak ;  but 
if  it  be  difficult,  four  are  to  speak;  and  if  very  difficult,  six; 
but  in  no  case  shall  more  than  six  be  appointed.     And  "ev- 
ery man  is  to  speak  according  to  equity  and  justice."    Those 
councilors  who  draw  even  numbers  are  "to  stand  up  in  be- 
half of  the  accused,  and  prevent  insult  or  injustice."    In  all 
cases,  however,  the  accuser  and  the  accused  must  be  given  the 
privilege  of  speaking  for  themselves  before  the  council  after 
the  evidence  has  been  heard  and  the  councilors"  appointed  to 
speak  have  finished.     Then  the  president  is  to  give  his  de- 
cision, calling  upon  the  twelve  councilors  to  sustain  it  by 
vote.     A  majority  is  necesasry  to  sustain  the  decision.     If, 
however,  any  of  those  who  have  not  spoken  discover  an  er- 
ror in  the  president's  decision,  the  case  is  to  have  a  re-hear- 
ing, and  if  new  light  be  thrown  upon  it,  the  decision  is  to  be 
altered  accordingly. 

Such  was  the  organization  of  the  first  high  council  of  the 
Church — one  part  of  the  admirable  system  of  our  ecclesi- 
astical judiciary.  Since  then,  the  rapid  and  extensive 
growth  of  the  Church  has  required  the  organization  of  a 
high  council  in  each  stake  of  Zion.  But  essentially  the  same 
rules  of  procedure  are  followed  now  as  were  used  by  this 
first  high  council.  The  President  of  the  Church,  however, 
is  no  longer  president  of  this  organization  ;  this  office  is  now 


IN   SPIRIT  AND  IN   TRUTH  197 

held  by  the  president  of  the  Stake  in  which  the  high  council 
is  situated,  and  his  two  counselors  assist  him  in  his  presi- 
dency here.  This  court  seems  to  be  mainly  one  of  appellate 
rather  than  of  original  jurisdiction;  that  is,  it  deals  chiefly 
with  cases  that  are  appealed  to  it  from  the  bishop's  court. 
At  present  in  our  highly  organized  state,  there  is  an  appeal 
from  this  court  to  that  of  the  First  Presidency  in  certain 
specified  cases ;  otherwise  it  must  prove  the  end  of  -contro- 
versy. 

It  was  just  one  year  after  this  that  the  quorum  of  the 
Twelve  Apostles  was  organized.  On  Sunday,  February  8th, 
1835,  after  the  mobbings  at  Missouri  and  the  journey  of 
Zion's  Camp  thither,  the  Prophet  Joseph  called  Brigham 
and  Joseph  Young  to  his  home  and  related  to  them  a  vision 
he  had  received. 

"Brethren,"  he  said,  "I  have  seen  those  men  who  died  in 
Zion's  Camp,  in  Missouri ;  and  the  Lord  knows,  if  I  get  a 
mansion  as  bright  as  theirs,  I  ask  no  more." 

And  he  wept.  Recovering,  he  asked  these  two  men  "to 
notify  all  the  brethren  living  in  the  branches,  within  a  rea- 
sonable distance  from  this  place,  to  meet  at  a  general  con- 
ference on  Saturday  next.  I  shall  then  and  there  appoint 
twelve  Special  Witnesses,  to  open  the  door  of  the  Gospel  to 
foreign  nations ;  and  you,"  he  said,  pointing  to  Brigham, 
"will  be  one  of  them."  This  announcement  "produced  in  the 
minds  of  the  two  elders  present  a  great  sensation  and  many 
reflections."  Joseph  then  expressed  himself  very  feelingly 
upon  the  matter,  detailing  the  duties  which  would  be  re- 
quired of  these  new  officers. 

On  the  following  Saturday  the  conference  appointed  was 
held  at  Kirtland.  "President  Smith  then  stated  that  the 
meeting  had  been  called  because  God  had  commanded  it; 
and  it  was  made  known  to  him  by  vision  and  by  the  Holy 
Spirit."    The  duty  of  naming  the  first  apostles  having  been 


198  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMON  ISM 

imposed  years  before  this,  by  revelation,  upon  the  three  wit- 
nesses to  the  Book  of  Mormon,  these  men  proceeded,  in  a 
second  meeting  held  on  the  same  day,  to  choose  the  men  who 
were  to  constitute  the  first  quorum  of  Twelve  in  this  dis- 
pensation. Their  names,  as  then  selected,  are:  Lyman  E. 
Johnson,  Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Orson  Hyde, 
David  W.  Patten,  Luke  S.  Johnson,  William  E.  M'Lellin, 
John  F.  Boynton,  Orson  Pratt,  William  Smith,  Thomas  B. 
Marsh,  and  Parley  P.  Pratt.  The  first  three  were  ordained 
at  this  meeting  by  the  three  witnesses  to  the  book  of  Mor- 
mon, their  ordination  and  blessing  being  confirmed  immedi- 
ately afterwards  by  the  First  Presidency.  On  the  following 
day,  being  a  continuation  of  the  conference,  the  next  six 
members  of  the  quorum  were  ordained;  on  the  21st,  Parley 
P.  Pratt ;  and  on  the  26th  David  W.  Patten  and  Orson  Pratt. 
Subsequently,  this  first  quorum  was  rearranged,  the  oldest 
being  given  the  first  place,  and  so  on  down  to  the  youngest. 
The  list  then  stood:  Thomas  B.  Marsh,  David  W.  Patten, 
Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Orson  Hyde,  William 
E.  M'Lellin,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Luke  S.  Johnson,  William 
Smith,  Orson  Pratt,  John  P.  Boynton,  and  Lyman  E.  John- 
son. On  the  4th  of  May  they  left  Kirtland  on  their  first 
mission. 

All  these  men  were  chosen  from  those  who  went  up,  in 
Zion's  Camp,  to  Missouri,  after  the  expulsion  of  the  Saints 
from  Jackson  county.  Indeed,  one  of  the  main  objects  the 
Lord  had  in  this  movement  was  to  furnish  an  opportunity  to 
try  the  integrity  of  the  brethren.  At  the  meeting  held  after 
this  Joseph,  in  his  address  before  the  elders,  said  that  God 
''could  not  organize  His  Kingdom  with  twelve  men  to  open 
the  gospel  door  to  the  nations  of  the  earth,  unless  he  took 
them  from  a  body  of  men  who  had  offered  their  lives,  and 
who  had  made  as  great  a  sacrifice  as  did  Abraham." 

Oliver  Cowdery  at  this  time  gave  the  twelve  a  charge, 


IN   SPIRIT  AND  IN   TRUTH  199 

including  what  Parley  P.  Pratt  calls  the  "Oath  and  Covenant 
of  Apostleship."  He  told  them  that  he  and  the  other  breth- 
ren, ever  since  the  Lord  had  made  it  known  that  there  should 
be  Twelve  Apostles,  had  looked  forward  prayerfully  to  the 
day  when  this  promise  should  be  fulfilled.  Since  the  Apos- 
tles were  Special  Witnesses,  he  declared,  they  should  never 
cease  striving  till  they  had  seen  God  face  to  face.  He  pre- 
dicted their  rejection  by  men,  but  they  should  not  lose  heart 
on  that  account.  The  world  must  be  warned,  and  if  they  re- 
fused to  perform  their  full  duty,  others  would  take  up  the 
labor,  and  they  should  lose  their  crowns.  Their  faith  must 
be  even  like  that  of  Enoch  and  the  Brother  of  Jared.  Tak- 
ing each  one  of  the  twelve  by  the  hand,  he  said :  "Do  you 
with  full  purpose  of  heart  take  part  in  this  ministry,  to  pro- 
claim the  gospel  with  all  diligence,  with  these  your  brethren, 
according  to  the  tenor  and  intent  of  the  charge  you  have 
received?"    And  each  answered  that  he  did. 

This  quorum  of  apostles  thus  organized,  is  the  second 
quorum  in  the  Church.  As  we  have  seen,  they  are  called 
"special  witnesses  of  the  name  of  Christ  in  all  the  world; 
thus  differing  from  other  officers  in  the  Church  in  the  duties 
of  their  calling.  And  they  form  a  quorum,  equal  in  author- 
ity and  power  to  the  three  Presidents,"  that  is,  the  First 
Presidency  of  the  Church.  They  open  the  door  of  the  gos- 
pel to  all  nations.  Thus  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Orson  Hyde 
opened  the  British  mission;  John  Taylor,  the  French; 
Lorenzo  Snow,  the  Swiss  ;  Erastus  Snow,  the  Scandinavian ; 
and  Heber  J.  Grant,  the  Japanese. 

Up  to  the  present  time  (1905),  forty-four  persons  have 
held  a  standing  in  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve  in  this  dispen- 
sation. Of  this  number,  eleven  have  been  expelled  from  the 
quorum,  all  but  three  before  the  Church  had  come  West  in 
1847.  The  quorum  as  at  present  constituted  is :  Francis  M. 
Lyman,  John  Henry  Smith,  Heber  J.  Grant,  Rudger  Claw- 


200  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMON  ISM 

son,  Reed  Smoot,  Hyrum  M.  Smith,  George  Albert  Smith, 
Charles  W.  Penrose,  George  F.  Richards,  Orson  F.  Whit- 
ney, David  O.  McKay,  and  Antony  W.  Ivins. 

Not  long  after  this  organization  of  the  Twelve,  the  first 
quorum  of  Seventy  in  this  dispensation  was  organized.  On 
the  same  occasion  that  the  Prophet  informed  Elders  Brig- 
ham  and  Joseph  Young  of  the  purpose  to  organize  a  quorum 
of  Apostles,  he  made  known  that  Seventies  should  also  be 
chosen.  And  "the  Lord,"  he  said,  turning  to  Joseph,  "has 
made  you  a  president  of  the  Seventies."  It  had  been  very 
generally  known  by  the  Saints  from  the  beginning  that  at 
some  time  in  the  future  Twelve  Apostles  would  be  chosen, 
for  as  early  as  June,  1829,  the  Lord  had  so  declared  to  Jos- 
eph ;  but  no  such  revelation  had  been  made  public  with  re- 
spect to  the  Seventies.  Hence  it  is  not  surprising  that  it 
"caused  these  brethren  to  marvel." 

"On  the  28th  of  February,"  says  the  Prophet's  journal, 
"the  Church  in  council  assembled,  commenced  selecting  in- 
dividuals to  be  Seventies,  from  the  number  of  those  who 
went  up  to  Zion  with  me  in  the  Camp."  Seventy  persons 
were  chosen,  seven  of  whom  were  designated  as  presidents. 
The  names  of  these  latter  were:  Joseph  Young,  Levi  W. 
Hancock,  James  Foster,  Daniel  S.  Miles,  Josiah  Butterfield, 
Salmon  Gee,  and  John  Gaylord. 

It  never  seems  to  have  been  the  intention  to  limit  this 
class  of  organizations  to  one  single  quorum,  nor,  indeed,  to 
any  particular  number  of  quorums ;  for  the  Prophet,  scarce- 
ly a  month  after  the  formation  of  the  quorum,  said  at  a 
meeting,  the  minutes  of  which  are  now  in  the  Church  histor- 
ian's office  in  the  handwriting  of  William  E.  M'Lellin:  "If 
the  first  Seventy  are  all  employed,  and  there  is  a  call  for  more 
laborers,  it  will  be  the  duty  of  the  seven  presidents  of  the 
first  Seventy  to  call  and  ordain  other  Seventy  and  send  them 
forth  to  labor  in  the  vineyard,  until,  if  needs  be,  they  set 


IN   SPIRIT  AND  IN    TRUTH  201 

apart  seven  times  seventy,  and  even  until  there  are  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-four  thousand  thus  set  apart  for  the  minis- 
try." According  to  this  there  could  be  more  than  two  thou- 
sand quorums ;  and  even  this  large  number  does  not  appear 
from  the  spirit  of  the  statement  made  by  the  Prophet  to  be 
given  as  a  limit,  but  simply  as  an  indication  of  the  immense 
force  of  the  foreign  ministry — a  figure  of  speech,  in  fact,  by 
which  the  definite  is  placed  for  the  indefinite. 

This  is  the  third  quorum  of  the  Church  in  order  of  au- 
thority. Like  the  Twelve  Apostles,  the  Seventies  are  called 
"to  be  special  witnesses  unto  the  Gentiles  and  in  all  the 
world,"  always,  however,  under  the  direction  of  the  Twelve. 
They  thus,  with  the  apostles,  constitute  the  standing  foreign 
ministry  of  the  Church.  "And  they  form  a  quorum  equal  in 
authority  to  that  of  the  twelve  special  witnesses  or  apostles." 
Their  duties,  both  in  this  and  in  the  Christian  dispensation, 
are  much  the  same  as  those  required  of  the  Twelve.  The 
First  Seven  Presidents  of  Seventy  at  present  (1905)  are: 
Seymour  B.  Young,  B.  H.  Roberts,  George  Reynolds,  Jon- 
athan G.  Kimball,  Rulon  S.  Wells,  Joseph  W.  McMurrin, 
and  James  H.  Hart. 

"In  all  other  quorums  of  the  high  Priesthood,"  says 
Elder  Roberts  in  a  foot-note  to  the  History  of  the  Church 
(Vol.  IT.,  pp.  202,  204),  "excepting  the  Twelve,  the  presi- 
dency consists  of  a  president  and  two  counselors,  but  the  pres- 
idency of  the  quorum  of  Seventy  consists  of  seven  presi- 
dents, equal  in  authority.  For  the  sake  of  order,  however, 
precedence  is  recognized  in  seniority  of  ordination ;  that  is, 
the  senior  president  by  ordination— not  of  age — presides  in 
the  council,  and  over  the  quorum;  and  in  the  event  of  his 
absence,  then  the  next  senior  president  by  ordination  has  the 
right  of  initiative  and  presides,  and  so  on  down  the  line  of 
presidents.  The  order  established  in  the  Church  for  the 
work  of  the  foreign  ministry  is  for  Elders  to  travel  two  and 


202  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMON  ISM 

two.  This  doubtless  for  the  reason  that  the  Lord  would  es- 
tablish his  work  by  the  mouths  of  two  witnesses  at  least,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  pleasure  that  would  be  derived  from  the 
companionship  subsisting  between  two  Elders  while  travel- 
ing among  strangers,  and  even  among  enemies.  A  quorum 
of  Seventy,  if  sent  out  into  the  world  as  a  body,  is  capable  of 
realizing  all  the  advantages  conceivable  from  organization. 
It  can  be  broken  up  into  just  seven  groups  of  ten  members ; 
with  each  group  would  be  a  president;  these  groups  can  be 
sub-divided  into  five  pairs,  who  can  scatter  out  into  various 
neighborhoods,  occasionally  meet  in  conference  with  the 
group  of  ten  to  which  the  respective  pairs  belonged,  and  at 
regular  intervals,  the  several  groups  could  be  called  together 
for  quorum  conference.  Thus  a  quorum  of  Seventy  can  be 
a  veritable  flying  column,  making  proclamation  of  the  gos- 
pel, the  like  of  which  is  to  be  found  nowhere  outside  the 
Church  of  Christ." 

The  House  of  the  Lord. 

The  Latter-day  Saints  have  always  been  a  great  temple- 
building  people — not  of  mere  houses  of  worship,  but  holier 
places,  where  the  most  sacred  ordinances  of  the  gospel  may 
be  administered.  In  this  respect,  they  are  much  like  the  an- 
cient Jews  and  the  Nephites. 

The  first  temple  built  by  the  Saints  in  this  Dispensation 
was  at  Kirtland.  In  December,  1832,  the  Lord  had  said  in  a 
revelation  (section  88,  verse  119)  through  the  Prophet: 
"Establish  a  house,  even  a  house  of  prayer,  a  house  of  fast- 
ing, a  house  of  faith,  a  house  of  learning,  a  house  of  glory,  a 
house  of  order,  a  house  of  God."  Nearly  six  months  later 
another  revelation  (section  95)  was  given  in  which  the 
Saints  were  reproved  for  not  having  "considered  the  great 
commandment  that  I  have  given  unto  you  concerning  the 
building   of   mine   house."     LTnder   date   of   June    1st,   the 


IN  SPIRIT  AND  IN  TRUTH  203 

Prophet  speaks  of  the  interest  of  the  people  in  the  proposed 
building  "continuing  to  increase,"  and  of  the  "great  prepara- 
tions" that  were  making  to  erect  the  house  of  the  Lord. 
Previously  to  this  last  date,  however,  a  meeting  of  high 
priests  had  been  held  at  Kirtland  in  which  the  matter  was 
considered,  and  a  committee  of  three — Hyrum  Smith,  Jared 
Carter  and  Reynolds  Cahoon — was  appointed  to  obtain  sub- 
scriptions. A  call  for  means,  issued  by  this  committee,  was 
responded  to  very  generously  by  the  Saints,  both  at  Kirtland 
and  at  Zion.  Another  conference  of  the  high  priests,  held 
on  June  6th,  instructed  the  committee  to  proceed  immedi- 
ately to  make  arrangements  for  building  material.  The 
corner  stones  were  laid  on  July  23 — the  very  day  on  which 
the  Saints  in  Missouri  were  preparing  to  leave  Jackson  coun- 
ty— and  the  building  was  completed  in  March,  1836.  In  all, 
the  cost  was  about  seventy-five  thousand  dollars. 

The  erection  of  such  a  building  was  a  gigantic  undertak- 
ing for  the  Saints  at  that  time.  Most  of  them  were  poor ; 
indeed,  nearly  all  of  them  were.  Heber  C.  Kimball,  in 
speaking  of  these  days,  says :  "The  Church  was  in  a  state 
of  poverty  and  distress,  in  consequence  of  which  it  appeared 
almost  impossible  that  the  commandments  [so  far  as  related 
to  the  building  of  the  temple]  could  be  fulfilled."  But  the 
faith  of  the  Saints  was  great,  and  they  erected  the  house  of 
the  Lord ;  they  were  willing  to  make  any  sacrifice  for  the 
gospel.  The  giving  of  means  to  any  religious  enterprise 
when  these  are  needed  for  personal  requirements,  is  one  of 
the  severest  tests  of  faith.  And  these  people,  when  thus 
tried,  were  not  found  wanting. 

But  aside  from  this  poverty,  they  were  subjected  to  con- 
stant annoyance  from  their  enemies,  during  the  progress 
of  the  work  on  the  temple.  Elder  Kimball,  in  the  sentence 
following  the  one  we  have  just  quoted,  declares :  "Our  ene- 
mies were  raging  and  threatening  destruction  upon  us,  and 


204  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS    OF    MORMONISM 

we  had  to  guard  ourselves  night  after  night,  and  for  weeks 
were  not  permitted  to  take  off  our  clothes,  and  were  obliged 
to  lay  with  our  fire-locks  in  our  arms."  These  things  are 
testified  to  also  by  Eliza  R.  Snow,  who  was  a  resident  of 
Kirtland  all  through  these  days.  Had  they  not  thus  pro- 
tected the  building,  the  walls  which  they  had  put  up  during 
the  day  would  have  been  torn  down  during  the  night.  But 
notwithstanding  their  poverty  and  distress,  they  completed 
the  structure  whch  had  been  planned  by  the  Lord  himself, 
thus  exhibiting  to  all  men  the  toil  and  sacrifice  and  priva- 
tion which  they  were  willing  to  endure  for  the  truth,  and 
sanctifying  that  truth  by  their  devotion  and  superhuman 
exertions. 

This  famous  building  has  often  been  described.  It  stood 
upon  the  most  elevated  spot  of  ground  in  the  neighborhood, 
a  solemn  and  imposing  guardian  of  that  part  of  northern 
Ohio  which  borders  on  the  Lake.  The  dimensions  on  the 
outside  were:  length,  eighty  feet;  width,  sixty  feet;  height 
to  the  square,  fifty  feet.  A  tower  one  hundred  and  ten  feet 
high  surmounted  the  whole.  The  material  of  which  it  was 
constructed  was  stone  and  brick.  There  were  four  vestries 
in  front,  and  five  rooms  in  the  attic.  In  the  centre  of  the 
main  hall  stood  four  pulpits,  one  above  another,  the  seats 
extending  from  north  to  south.  Those  on  the  west  were  to 
be  occupied  by  the  presiding  officers  ot  the  Melchizedek 
priesthood ;  those  on  the  east,  by  the  Aaronic.  Each  pulpit 
was  separable  from  the  others  by  "curtains  of  white  painted 
canvas,  which  might  be  let  down  and  drawn  up  at  pleasure." 
The  four  corners  were  to  be  occupied  by  the  four  divisions 
of  the  choir,  seated  in  elevated  pews.  The  room  might  be 
made  into  four,  each  with  a  pulpit  and  a  choir,  by  drawing 
curtains  intersecting  at  right  angles,  so  that  four  meetings 
could  be  held  simultaneously  without  mutual  disturbance. 
This  peculiar  arrangement  of  the  ground-floor,  says  Eliza  R, 


IN    SPIRIT   AND    IN    TRUTH  205 

Snow,  from  whose  writings  we  have  taken  the  above  details, 
"made  it  more  than  ordinarily  impressive,  so  much  so  that  a 
sense  of  awe  seemed  to  rest  upon  all  who  entered ;  not  only 
the  Saints,  but  strangers  also  manifested  a  high  degree  of 
reverential  feeling."  Well  might  these  self-sacrificing  and 
devoted  people  feel  proud  of  their  sacred  temple. 

The  dedicatory  services  and  the  blessings  received  at  the 
time  and  also  afterwards  on  several  occasions  were  of  such  a 
glorious  character  as  to  make  the  Saints  forget  their  diffi- 
culties or  to  regard  them  as  incomparably  trifling. 

At  about  seven  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning,  March  27th, 
1836,  the  people  began  to  assemble  for  the  dedication.  This 
was  an  hour  before  the  doors  were  open,  so  eager  were  the 
Saints  to  gain  admittance.  At  eight  o'clock  the  doors  of 
the  temple  were  thrown  open,  and  Presidents  Smith,  Rigdon, 
and  Cowdery  seated  the  congregation  as  they  entered.  Be- 
tween nine  and  ten  hundred  were  comfortable  seated,  and 
there  were  hundreds  yet  outside.  These  latter  repaired  to  an 
adjacent  school-house  for  the  purpose  of  conducting  other 
services.  "I  felt  to  regret,"  says  the  Prophet,  in  his  journal, 
with  quiet  tenderness  and  sympathy,  "that  any  of  my  breth- 
ren and  sisters  should  be  deprived  of  the  meeting." 

The  assembly  inside  the  temple  was  arranged  in  the  most 
orderly  manner,  the  priesthood  occupying  their  places  each 
according  to  his  office,  and  the  lay  members  in  parts  of  the 
house  allotted  to  them.  Services  began  at  nine,  by  the  read- 
ing of  the  ninety-sixth  and  the  twenty-fourth  Psalm  by 
President  Rigdon,  who  also  offered  the  opening  prayer  and 
preached  the  main  discourse,  taking  as  a  text  the  twentieth 
verse  of  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  Matthew.  Joseph  was 
then  sustained  as  Prophet  and  seer,  by  a  rising  vote,  of  the 
priesthood  first,  each  quorum  in  its  turn,  and  then  of  the 
whole  congregation.  An  intermission  of  twenty  minutes  fol- 
lowed.   When  the  services  were  resumed,  the  Prophet  made 


206  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

a  short  address,  after  which  the  Presidency  of  the  Church 
— Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon,  and  Frederick  G.  Williams 
— were  sustained,  as  also  were  the  Twelve,  the  Seventies, 
the  high  council,  that  in  Zion  as  well  as  that  in  Kirtland, 
the  Bishops  of  Kirtland  and  Zion,  and  the  presidents  of 
Elders,  Priests,  Teachers,  and  Deacons.  The  dedicatory 
prayer,  which  had  been  given  the  Prophet  by  revelation  (sec. 
109),  was  then  offered. 

"President  Frederick  G.  Williams,"  says  Joseph,  speaking 
of  that  part  of  the  services  after  the  prayer,  "arose  and 
testified  that  while  President  Rigdon  was  making  his  first 
prayer,  an  angel  entered  the  window  and  took  his  seat  be- 
tween Father  Smith  and  himself,  and  remained  there  during 
the  prayer.  President  David  Whimer  also  saw  angels  in 
the  house.  President  Hyrum  Smith  made  some  appropriate 
remarks  congratulating  those  who  had  endured  so  many 
toils  and  privations  to  build  the  house.  President  Rigdon 
then  made  a  few  appropriate  closing  remarks,  and  a  short 
prayer,  at  the  close  of  which  we  sealed  the  proceedings  of 
the  day  by  shouting  hosanna,  hosanna,  hosanna,  to  God 
and  the  Lamb,  three  times,  sealing  it  each  time  with  amen, 
amen,  and  amen.  President  Brigham  Young  gave  a  short 
address  in  tongues,  and  David  W.  Patten  interpreted,  and 
gave  a  short  exhortation  in  tongues  himself,  after  which  I 
blessed  the  congregation  in  the  name  of  the  Lord/'  Then 
the  assembly  dispersed,  having  been  there  till  past  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  "having  manifested,"  adds  the 
Prophet,  "the  most  quiet  demeanor  during  the  whole  exer- 
cise." 

In  the  evening  the  quorums  of  the  priesthood  met,  to 
the  number  of  more  than  four  hundred,  for  instruction  in 
the  ordinances  of  washing  of  feet,  practiced  by  the  Savior 
and  his  apostles.  "Brother  George  A.  Smith,"  we  are  in- 
formed   by    the    Prophet's    history,    "arose    and    began    to 


IN   SPIRIT  AND  IN   TRUTH  207 

prophesy,  when  a  noise  was  heard  like  the  sound  of  a  rush- 
ing mighty  wind,  which  filled  the  Temple,  and  all  the  con- 
gregation simultaneously  arose,  being  moved  upon  by  an  in- 
visible power;  many  began  to  speak  in  tongues  and  proph- 
esy; others  saw  glorious  visions;  and  I  beheld  that  the 
Temple  was  filled  with  angels,  which  fact  I  declared  to  the 
congregation.  The  people  of  the  neighborhood  came  run- 
ning together  (hearing  an  unusual  sound  within;  and  seeing 
a  bright  light  like  a  pillar  of  fire  resting  upon  the  Temple), 
and  were  astonished  at  what  was  taking  place."  It  was 
eleven  o'clock  when  this  meeting  was  dismissed. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  recall  the  hymns  that  were  sung 
on  this  occasion  and  may  add  to  our  realization  of  the  details 
of  the  services.  The  first  was  one  composed  by  Parley  P. 
Pratt,  beginning:  "Ere  long  the  veil  will  rend  in  twain." 
"O  happy  souls,  who  pray,"  the  composition  of  William  W. 
Phelps ;  "Now  let  us  rejoice  in  the  day  of  salvation,"  and 
'This  earth  was  once  a  garden  place,"  by  the  same  author, 
were  sung  at  the  first  sessions,  as  also  "How  pleased  and 
blessed  was  I"  by  Watts.  After  the  dedicatory  prayer  was 
offered,  that  stirring  hymn,  the  composition  of  Phelps,  which 
is  still  sung  with  great  feeling  in  our  meetings,  "The  Spirit 
of  God  like  a  fire  is  burning,"  was  rendered  by  the  choir. 

Other  Visions  in  the  Temple. 

Passing  by  a  great  many  manifestations  of  God's  power 
and  goodness  in  visions,  revelations,  prophesyings,  and 
speaking  in  tongues  to  the  elders  and  Saints  generally  in 
this  sacred  house  during  the  next  few  weeks,  we  come  to 
one  of  the  most  important  visions  ever  vouchsafed  to  man, 
and  one,  too,  in  which  the  comprehensiveness  of  the  work 
of  God  is  strikingly  set  forth. 

On  Sunday,  April  3d,  of  this  same  year,  a  meeting  was 
held  in  the  temple.     After  the  administration  of  the  sacra- 


208  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

ment  of  the  Lord's  supper,  Joseph  with  Oliver  Cowdery  "re- 
tired to  the  pulpit,  the  veils  being  dropped,"  and  engaged  in 
solemn,  silent  prayer.  They  saw  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
"standing  upon  the  breastwork  of  the  pulpit,  before  them, 
and  under  his  feet  was  a  paved  work  of  pure  gold  in  color 
like  amber.  His  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of  fire,  the  hair  of  His 
head  was  white  like  the  pure  snow,  and  His  voice  was  as  the 
rushing  of  great  waters,  even  the  voice  of  Jehovah,  saying — 
I  am  the  first  and  the  last,  I  am  he  who  liveth,  I  am  he  who 

was  slain,  I  am  your  advocate  with  the  Father 

I  have  accepted  this  house,  and  my  name  shall  be  here,  and  I 
will  manifest  myself  to  my  people  in  mercy  in  this  house. 
Yea,  I  will  appear  unto  my  servants,  and  speak  unto  them 
with  mine  own  voice,  if  my  people  will  keep  my  command- 
ments, and  do  not  pollute  this  holy  house." 

After  this  vision  closed,  the  heavens  were  again  opened 
unto  them.  Moses  appeared  and  bestowed  upon  them  the 
keys  of  the  gathering  of  Israel  from  the  four  parts  of  the 
earth,  and  the  leading  of  the  Ten  Tribes  from  the  land  of 
the  north.  Then  Elias  appeared,  and  committed  to  their 
hands  the  keys  of  the  dispensation  of  the  gospel  of  Abra- 
ham, saying  that  in  them  and  in  their  seed  after  them  should 
all  generations  be  blessed.  Next  Elijah  the  Prophet,  he  who 
was  taken  up  without  tasting  death,  stood  before  them,  and 
delivered  to  them  the  keys  by  which  the  dead  are  redeemed 
and  all  the  generations  of  man  linked  together  into  one  fam- 
ily. This  was  he  who  should  come  before  "the  great  and 
dreadful  day  of  the  Lord"  in  order  that  the  hearts  of  the 
children  might  be  turned  to  the  fathers  and  those  of  the 
fathers  turned  towards  the  children ;  for  if  it  were  not  so, 
"the  earth  would  be  smitten  with  a  curse." 

Than  this  message  of  the  Prophet  Elijah's  one  can  scarcely 
point  to  anything  more  luminous  upon  the  general  purposes 
of  God  with  respect  to  man.     In  "the  beginning"  the  earth 


IN  SPIRIT  AND  IN  TRUTH  209 

was  created  and  man  placed  in  his  probationary  sphere. 
Since  then  myriads  of  men  have  lived  and  died  here.  Now, 
the  gospel  was  given  to  save  man  from  sin.  But  how  many 
of  these  have  received,  or  even  heard  of,  the  divine  work? 
Comparatively  few.  According  to  the  highest  estimate, 
counting  the  Christian  people  as  being  in  possession  of  the 
law  of  the  Lord,  only  a  trifle  over  thirty-one  per  cent,  have 
obeyed  the  gospel.  What  will  become  of  the  countless  hosts 
who  have  not  heard  and  believed?  Christianity  has  no 
answer.  The  most  charitable  view  of  the  situation  leaves 
the  great  majority  of  the  race  of  man — God's  creatures — 
without  salvation.  In  other  words,  man  by  a  single  thought- 
less act — the  fall — has  frustrated  the  whole  schemes  of  sal- 
vation as  devised  by  the  great  Jehovah ;  for  Christ,  as  in- 
terpreted by  modern  religions,  will  miss  the  larger  portion 
of  the  human  family.  What  a  comment,  this,  upon  the  wis- 
dom, foresight,  and  justice,  not  to  speak  of  the  mercy,  of 
the  Almighty  Father  of  men! 

"Mormonism"  reasons  differently,  and  it  does  so  in  view 
of  this  vision  of  Elijah's.  All  men  will  be  judged  by  the  law 
of  Christ  in  the  gospel — there  is  no  other.  But  in  order  to  be 
punished  or  rewarded  according  to  this  law,  obviously  they 
must  hear  it  and  have  their  free  agency  to  receive  or  reject 
it  as  the  guide  of  their  lives,  whether  here  or  hereafter.  How 
can  every  man  hear  the  word,  when  so  many  of  them  have 
died  without  hearing  it?  The  spirit  and  the  body  are  the 
soul  of  man.  This  spirit  is  the  immortal  part ;  that  part, 
namely,  which  thinks  and  feels  and  wills.  At  death,  which 
is  merely  a  separation  of  the  body  from  the  spirit,  this  eter- 
nal part  goes  into  "Paradise,"  where  it  will  have  the  law 
preached  and  where,  having  its  free  agency,  it  may  adhere  to 
or  refuse  the  truth.  Jesus,  for  instance,  entered  Paradise,  in 
which  were  the  antediluvians  to  whom  Noah  preached,  and 
taught  these  spirits  the  same  gospel  which  he  had  laid  down 


210  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS    OF    MORMONISM 

his  life  for  here,  "that  they  might  be  judged  like  men  in  the 
flesh,  but  live  like  God  in  the  spirit."  But,  how  are  these 
persons,  supposing  they  choose  to  live  according  to  the 
higher  law,  to  be  saved  without  some  ordinances  of  the  gos- 
pel which  we  are  taught  here  are  indispensable  to  our  salva- 
tion— such,  for  example,  as  baptism?  The  rites  are  per- 
formed for  them  by  those  in  the  flesh — just  as  Christ  died 
for  us  because  we  were  unable  to  die  efficaciously  for  our- 
selves. The  spirits  in  the  world  of  spirits,  then,  have  the 
privilege  and  the  power  to  accept  the  gospel  there,  while 
those  yet  in  the  flesh  perform  all  the  necessary  ordinances 
for  them  which  they  cannot  perform  for  themselves  ;  and 
this  is  the  meaning  of  Elijah's  message  to  Joseph  the 
Prophet.  Thus  God's  plan  is  not,  after  all,  so  narrow  as  to 
miss  the  vast  majority  of  his  creatures;  but  each  will  be 
saved  in  the  degree  of  glory  that  his  conduct,  influenced  by 
the  atoning  blood  of  Jesus,  will  merit.  A  transcendently 
sublime  and  light-radiating  thought,  which  harmonizes  all 
the  contradictions  that  man  has  imagined  he  detected  in  His 
purposes,  but  that  were  contraditions  only  in  the  interpre- 
tations of  God's  plan  given  out  by  an  apostate  church ! 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  PLACE  OF  THE  JUGMENT  SEAT 

A  Peaceful  Exodus. 

Their  resources  for  the  redemption  of  Zion  having  been  ex- 
hausted, the  Missouri  Saints  now  began  to  look  about  them 
for  a  new  home.  Under  ordinary  conditions,  they  would 
have  little  call,  as  home-seekers,  to  look  beyond  the  limits 
of  this  northern  county ;  for  at  that  time  its  uneven  but  fer- 
tile surface  of  more  than  four  hundred  square  miles  was 
sparsely  inhabited  and  would  have  afforded  ample  accom- 
modations for  the  entire  body  of  "Mormons"  both  here  and 
in  Ohio.  But  the  Saints  were  not  in  Clay  county  under  or- 
dinary conditions.  They  were  a  peculiar  people,  poor  on  the 
whole,  but  not  because  they  lacked  industry  and  enterprise, 
with  a  religion  and  habits  of  thought  and  life  extremely  ob- 
noxious to  their  neighbors.  Besides  there  was  an  agreement 
between  them  and  their  newly-found  friends,  made  at  the 
time  they  were  expelled  from  the  southern  county,  that  they 
would  remain  there  only  until  they  had  recovered  their 
former  homes ;  and  in  the  event  of  their  failing  to  do  this, 
they  would  move  to  another  place.  And  nothing  in  the 
conduct  of  the  "Mormons"  can  be  construed  as  an  intention 
to  violate  the  terms  of  this  compact.  Meanwhile  their  Jack- 
son county  foes,  with  malignant  hate  singularly  relentless, 
pursued  them  into  the  very  precincts  of  friendship  which 
they  had  established  with  their  temporary  protectors  and 
the  well-springs  of  which  their  enemies  now  sought  to 
poison.  Hence,  by  the  middle  of  the  year  1836,  a  general 
sentiment  against  the  Saints  had  been  aroused  in  Clay  coun- 
ty, and  it  became  necessary  for  them  to  find  another  place  of 


212  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS    OF    MORMONISM 

settlement,  after  having  remained  here  for  about  two  and  a 
half  years. 

It  is  quite  probable  that  if  the  "Mormons"  had  not  at 
this  time  indicated  their  purpose  of  leaving,  and  if,  more- 
over, there  had  not  been  some  honorable  men  here  to  guide 
public  sentiment — something  which  had  been  woefully  lack- 
ing in  Jackson  county — they  would  have  been  again  forc- 
ibly expelled.  At  a  meeting  held  in  June,  1834,  at  Liberty, 
for  the  purpose  of  arbitrating  the  differences  between  the 
Saints  and  their  Jackson  enemies,  one  Samuel  Owens  made 
an  inflammatory  address  against  the  exiles,  to  which,  how- 
ever, General  Doniphan  replied  counseling  peace.  A  reverend 
gentleman,  also,  by  the  name  of  Riley,  a  Baptist  preacher, 
declared  that  the  "Mormons"  had  lived  in  Clay  county  long 
enough,  and  that  they  "must  either  clear  out,  or  be  cleared 
out."  Whereupon,  the  chairman  of  the  meeting,  Mr.  Thur- 
man,  said: 

"Let  us  be  republicans,  let  us  honor  our  country,  and 
not  disgrace  it  like  Jackson  county.  For  God's  sake  don't 
disfranchise  the  Mormons.  They  are  better  citizens  than 
many  of  the  old  inhabitants." 

"That's  a  fact,"  shouted  General  Doniphan,  jumping  to 
his  feet ;  "and  as  the  Mormons  have  armed  themselves,"  he 
continued  in  reference  to  Zion's  camp  which  was  then  on  the 
way  to  Missouri,  "if  they  don't  fight  they  are  cowards." 

The  meeting  broke  up  without  accomplishing  anything. 
Another  meeting  was  held  at  the  same  place  in  June,  1836, 
at  which  a  report  was  adopted  demanding  the  fulfillment  of 
the  pledge  which  the  "Mormons"  had  given  when  they  came, 
to  leave  the  county  "whenever  a  respectable  portion  of  the 
citizens  should  request  it."  The  document  made  the  usual 
objections  to  the  new  religionists :  They  had  such  a  differ- 
ent faith  from  other  people;  "they  were  eastern  men,  whose 
manners,  habits,  customs,  and  even  dialect  were  essentially 


THE  PLACE  OF  THE  JUDGMENT  SEAT.  213 

different  from  [those  of]  the  Mis'sourians ;"  they  were  non- 
slave  holders ;  and,  besides,  it  was  commonly  reported  that 
they  held  constant  communication  with  the  Indians.  "We  do 
not  vouch  for  the  correctness  of  these  statements,"  continued 
the  report,  "but  whether  they  are  true  or  false,  the  effect  has 
been  the  same  in  exciting  our  community."  It  was  therefore 
unanimously  resolved,  that  "unless  the  people  commonly 
called  Mormons  will  agree  to  stop  immediately  the  immigra- 
tion of  their  people  to  this  country,  and  take  measures  to  re- 
move themselves  from  it,  a  civil  war  is  inevitable."  The  report 
went  on  to  say :  "We  do  not  contend  that  we  have  the  least 
right  under  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  country,  to  ex- 
pel them  by  force.  But  we  would  indeed  be  blind,  if  we  did 
not  foresee  that  the  first  blow  that  is  struck  at  this  moment 
of  deep  excitement  must  and  will. speedily  involve  every  in- 
dividual in  war,  bearing  ruin,  woe,  and  desolation  in  its 
course.  It  matters  but  little  how,  where  or  by  whom  the  war 
may  begin,  when  the  work  of  destruction  commences,  we 
must  all  be  borne  onward  by  the  storm,  or  crushed  beneath 
its  fury." 

On  the  first  of  July  following,  the  Saints  held  a  mass 
meeting,  at  which  they  formed  a  reply  to  the  report  adopted 
at  the  non-"Mormon"  meeting.  They  expressed  their  ap- 
preciation of  the  kindness  they  had  received  at  the  hands  of 
the  Clay  county  inhabitants,  but  denied  specifically  every 
charge  made  against  them  in  the  report.  They  had  never 
been  disposed  to  interfere  with  slavery,  and  had  always  held 
themselves  as  ready  as  any  one  to  defend  the  country  from 
Indian  attacks.  "For  the  sake  of  friendship,"  continued 
their  answer,  "and  to  be  in  a  covenant  of  peace  with  the 
citizens  of  Clay  county,  and  they  to  be  in  a  covenant  of  peace 
with  us,  notwithstanding  the  necessary  loss  of  property  and 
expense  we  incur  in  moving,  we  comply  with  the  requisitions 
of  their  resolutions  in  leaving  the  county  of  Clay  and  that  we 


214  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

will  use  our  exertions  to  have  the  Church  do  the  same." 
In  striking  contrast  with  the  conduct  of  the  people  of 
Jackson  county  after  an  almost  similar  agreement,  the  inhab- 
itants of  Clay,  through  their  committee,  tendered  the  mi- 
grating saints  any  assistance  which  was  in  their  power  to 
give.  They  would  help  them  to  select  a  suitable  location, 
they  would  recommend  them  to  the  generous  treatment  of 
counties  adjacent  to  that  in  which  they  should  settle,  and 
they  would  render  them  any  material  aid  they  could.  Ac- 
cordingly, two  persons  from  each  township  were  appointed  to 
raise  means  by  subscription  to  aid  such  of  the  "Mormons"  as 
might  be  in  need  of  assistance.  As  soon  as  possible  after 
this  agreement,  the  Saints  began  to  make  preparations  to 
leave  the  county.  The  first  companies  moved  in  September, 
and  by  the  following  spring  almost  no  Saints  were  to  be 
found  in  Clay. 

The  New  Home. 

Immediately  to  the  north-east  of  Clay  county  was  a  wild  and 
practically  uninhabited  prairie,  whose  wooded  streams  af- 
forded ample  haunts  for  droves  of  elk  and  other  wild  game 
At  this  time  it  was  part  of  Ray  county,  which  had  been  cre- 
ated in  1820.  Bee-hunters  and  Indians  were  then  almost  the 
only  human  beings  to  be  found  there,  for  scarcely  half  a 
dozen  men  had  arisen  above  the  prejudice  of  the  Ordinary 
Missourian  of  that  day  against  the  prairie  lands,  and  dared 
to  hazard  his  prospects  by  settling  in  the  new  county.  Nev- 
ertheless, it  was  one  of  the  most  favorable  parts  of  Upper 
Missouri,  not  only  for  its  fertility,  but  also  for  the  variety  of 
its  products. 

Already,  however,  William  W.  Phelps  had  looked  over 
the  country  and  written  a  description  of  it  to  the  brethren  at 
Kirtland.  This  it  was,  together  with  the  suggestions  of 
some  of  the  leading  men  in  Clay  county,  that  first  induced 


THE  PLACE  OF  THE  JUDGMENT  SEAT  2lS 

the  "'Mormon"  exiles  to  think  of  it  as  a  desirable  home. 
Further  deliberation  on  the  subject  had  revealed  its  really 
inviting  prospects.  The  hitherto  vexatious  Gentile  would 
not  be  likely  to  disturb  them  here,  for  the  prairie  was  uni- 
versally looked  upon  as  too  cold  in  the  winter  and  too  hot 
in  the  summer  for  comfortable  living;  and  as  there  were 
only  a  few  settlers  in  the  whole  of  that  county,  they  would 
be  alone.  They  could  have  a  county  of  their  own ;  they 
would  have  their  own  officials,  and  no  one  would  disturb,  or 
be  disturbed  by,  their  isolation.  The  Saints  were  therefore 
perfectly  satisfied,  and  the  Gentiles  looked  upon  this  plan 
as  the  only  solution  of  the  "Mormon"  problem. 

In  December,  1836,  the  county  of  Caldwell  was  created, 
and  at  the  same  time  that  of  Daviess  just  north  of  it,  both 
out  of  what  had  been  Ray  County.  The  former  was  named 
for  an  Indian  scout,  Matthew  Caldwell,  a  friend  of  General 
Doniphan's  father ;  and  the  latter  for  Col.  Joseph  H.  Daviess, 
also  an  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Doniphan's.  This  friendly  Gen- 
eral and  former  attorney  for  the  "Mormons"  introduced 
into  the  legislature  the  bill  organizing  these  two  counties, 
which  was  passed  without  much  opposition.  The  duty  of 
choosing  a  seat  for  each  county  was  assigned  to  Joseph 
Baxter  and  Cornelius  Gillium,  the  former  of  Clinton,  the 
latter  of  Ray.  It  was  not  the  intention,  as  some  have  tried  to 
m?-.ke  out,  that  no  Gentiles  should  settle  there,  though  it  was 
rather  doubtful  if  many,  under  the  circumstances,  would  do 
so.  Nor  was  there  any  agreement,  either  expressed  or 
implied,  between  the  "Mormons"  and  the  non-"Mormons" 
in  the  country  that  the  former  would  not  settle  in  any  other 
county  without  first  obtaining  the  consent  of  the  inhabitants 
already  there. 

So  the  Saints  entered  upon  their  task  of  home  making 
with  great  energy  and  enthusiasm.  It  was  not  long,  there- 
fore, till  this  section  of  Upper  Missouri,  under  the  well- 


216  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

organized  efforts  of  the  "Mormon"  settlers,  assumed  an  as- 
pect of  activity  and  progress  of  which  much  older  communi- 
ties might  be  justly  proud.  The  people  established  them- 
selves, at  first,  chiefly  along  Shoal  creek,  a  tributary  of  the 
Grand;  but  subsequently  they  pushed  out  into  different 
parts  of  Caldwell  county.  They  eventually  made  settlements 
in  Daviess  county  and  in  Carroll  county,  just  north  of  the 
Missouri  near  the  junction  of  the  Grand  with  this  river. 
The  principal  town  in  the  former  county  was  Adam-ondi- 
Ahman,  of  which  we  shall  say  more  in  another  section  ;  in 
the  latter  county  the  settlement  was  named  De  Witt.  Some 
of  the  Saints  found  homes  at  Millport  and  Gallatin,  both  in 
Daviess  county.  But  the  chief  town,  as  also  the  county  seat 
of  Caldwell,  was  Far  West.  Mills  were  constructed,  stores 
and  schools  established,  and  large  parts  of  the  country  thus 
settled  thickly  studded  with  private  dwellings.  Most  of  the 
people,  of  course,  were  poor,  in  consequence  very  largely  of 
the  mobbings  to  which  they  had  submitted,  and  many  of 
them  were  compelled  to  seek  temporary  employment  in  other 
counties  in  order  to  support  their  families.  But  they  all 
looked  forward  hopefully  to  a  prosperous  supremacy  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  place  where  Adam  dwelt. 

Far  West. 

The  city  of  Far  West  became  at  once  the  principal  settlement 
of  the  "Mormon"  community,  the  county  seat  of  the  new 
county,  and  the  headquarters  of  the  Church.  It  was  situated 
on  Shoal  Creek  north-west  of  what  is  now  Kingston, 
the  present  county  seat  of  Caldwell.  'kLet  the  city,  Far 
West,"  said  the  Lord  in  a  revelation  (section  115)  given  the 
Prophet  in  April,  1838,  "be  a  holy  and  consecrated  land  unto 
me,  for  the  ground  upon  which  thou  standest  is  holy."  We 
shall  see  presently  why  this  was  so.  The  idea  which  con- 
trolled in  laying  out  the  town  was  doubtless  a  suggestion 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    JUDGMENT    SEAT  217 

from  the  plat  for  the  city  in  Zion,  in  Jackson  county.  Orig- 
inally it  was  one  square  mile  in  extent,  but  was  later  extend- 
ed to  two.  In  the  center  was  set  apart  a  large  public  square 
approachable  by  four  streets,  one  hundred  and  thirty-two 
feet  wide,  running  to  it  from  the  cardinal  points  of  the  com- 
pass. The  streets  crossed  one  another  at  right  angles,  and  all 
of  them  except  these  four  main  roads  were  eighty-two  and 
one  half  feet  in  width.  The  blocks  thus  created  contained 
four  acres  The  growth  of  the  town  was  naturally  very 
rapid.  By  the  middle  of  1838  there  were  one  hundred  and 
fifty  private  dwellings,  seven  stores,  six  blacksmith  shops, 
two  hotels,  and  a  printing  house  prepared  to  issue  a  Church 
periodical.  An  attempt  had  been  made  to  have  established 
there  a  saloon,  but  the  idea  was  quickly  nipped  in  the 
bud  at  a  meeting  of  the  high  council.  The  houses  at  first 
were  log  cabins,  but  later  frame  buildings  made  their  appear- 
ance. It  is  worth  noting  that  the  first  public  building 
erected  in  the  city  was  a  school  house,  which,  for  a  time,  was 
used  also  for  court  house,  town  hall,  and  church. 

In  the  revelation  from  which  we  have  just  quoted  (section 
115)  the  Lord  commanded  the  Saints  to  build  a  temple  "that 
they  might  worship  him."  A  beginning  was  to  be  made  on 
the  4th  of  July,  1838,  work  was  to  go  on  gradually  without 
involving  the  Church  authorities  in  debt  until,  "from  the 
corner  stone  to  the  top  thereof,  there  should  not  anything 
remain  unfinished."  We  shall  have  more  to  say  hereafter  on 
this  subject. 

Adam-ondi-Ahman. 

In  May,  1838,  about  three  months  after  the  arrival  of  the 
Prophet  Joseph  at  Far  West,  he  and  a  number  of  the  breth- 
ren journeyed  northward  from  the  city,  for  the  purpose  of 
inspecting  the  country  with  a  view  to  establishing  settle- 
ments  between   there   and   Tower  Hill   in   Daviess   countv 


218  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  distant.  Lyman  Wight,  it  seems, 
and  a  few  others  had  already  found  themselves  a  home 
at  Tower  Hill  and  vicinity,  on  the  Grand.  Passing  Wight's 
house— which,  by  the  way  is  still  standing— Joseph  with 
Sidney  Rigdon  and  George  W.  Robinson  ascended  the  river 
for  about  half  a  mile.  Here  they  found  a  deep  bend  in  the 
stream  in  which  was  a  high  ridge  rising  abruptly  from  the 
banks  at  the  point  of  the  curve,  with  another  ridge  just  north 
of,  and  parallel  with  it,  leaving  a  valley  between  varying  in 
width  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  yards.  The  name  given  to 
this  first  elevation  was  Spring  Hill,  but  Joseph  changed  the 
name  to  Adam-ondi-Ahman,  having  been  instructed  of  the 
Lord  concerning  the  significance  of  this  place. 

Diahman,  as  it  was  commonly  known  to  the  Saints  of 
that  day,  is  a  sacred  spot  by  reason  of  the  past  as  well  as  of 
the  future.  'Three  years  previous  to  the  death  of  Adam," 
the  Lord  had  declared  to  Joseph  as  early  as  March,  1838,  in 
a  revelation  (section  107)  on  the  priesthood,  "he  called  Seth, 
Enos,  Cainan,  Mahalaleel,  Jared,  Enoch,  and  Methuselah, 
who  were  all  High  Priests,  with  the  residue  of  his  posterity 
who  were  righteous,  into  the  valley  of  Adam-ondi-Ahman, 
and  there  bestowed  upon  them  his  last  blessing.  And  the  Lord 
appeared  unto  them,  and  they  rose  up  and  blessed  Adam,  and 
called  him  Michael,  the  Prince,  the  Archangel.  And  the 
Lord  administered  comfort  unto  Adam,  and  said  unto  him, 
I  have  set  thee  to  be  at  the  head — a  multitude  of  nations 
shall  come  of  thee,  and  thou  art  a  prince  over  them  forever. 
And  Adam  stood  up  in  the  midst  of  the  congregation,  and 
notwithstanding  he  was  bowed  down  with  age,  being  full  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  predicted  whatsoever  should  befall  his  pos- 
terity unto  the  latest  generation."  So  much  for  the  past; 
the  future  is  still  more  important  and  striking.  Adam-ondi- 
Ahman,  according  to  another  revelation  (section  116)  given 
on  this  very  occasion  that  the  Prophet  viewed  the  spot,  "is  the 


THE    PLACE    OF    THE    JUDGMENT    SEAT  219 

place  where  Adam  shall  come  to  visit  his  people,  or  the  An- 
cient of  Days  sit,"  to  judge  mankind.  This  imposing-  scene 
of  the  judgment  seat  is  described  by  Daniel  the  prophet  in 
these  lofty  strains:  "I  beheld  till  the  thrones  were  cast 
down,  and  the  Ancient  of  Days  did  sit,  whose  garment  was 
white  as  snow  and  the  hair  of  his  head  like  the  pure  wool. 
His  throne  was  like  the  fiery  flame,  and  his  wheels  a  burning 
fire.  A  fiery  stream  issued  and  came  forth  from  before  him. 
Thousand  thousands  ministered  unto  him,  and  ten  thousand 
times  ten  thousand  stood  before  him.     The  judgment  was 

set,  and  the  books  were  opened And  there 

was  given  him  dominion,  and  glory,  a  kingdom,  that  all 
people,  nations,  and  languages,  should  serve  him.  His  do- 
minion is  an  everlasting  dominion,  which  shall  not  pass 
away,  and  his  kingdom  that  which  shall  not  be  destroyed." 

Returning  to  Tower  Hill,  the  Prophet  called  a  council 
of  the  brethren  "to  know  whether  it  was  wisdom  to  go  im- 
mediately into  the  north  country,  or  tarry  hereabout,  to  se- 
cure land  on  Grand  river."  They  decided  that  they  would 
endeavor  to  occupy  the  land  between  Diahman  and  Far 
West.    And  the  company  returned  home. 

In  June  following  a  stake  organization  was  effected  at 
Diahman  with  John  Smith  as  president  and  Reynolds  Ca- 
hoon  and  Lyman  Wight  as  counselors.  A  high  council  was 
also  chosen  and  organized.  Subsequently  a  company  of  be- 
tween five  and  six  hundred  Saints  from  Kirtland  located  here 
in  a  body,  so  that  there  grew  upon  this  sacred  ground  con- 
siderable of  a  population. 

Some  Needful  Pruning. 

Unfortunately,  at  this  time  when  the  Church  was  in  a  critical 
state,  just  recovering  from  the  effects  of  persecution,  both 
at  Kirtland  and  at  Missouri,  and  also  of  settling  in  a  new 
country,  and  just  as  it  was  about  to  enter  upon  another  and 


220  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

more  critical  stage  of  its  career,  there  occurred  the  largest 
and  most  singular  apostasy  of  prominent  men  in  its  entire 
history.  Of  the  falling  away  that  occurred  in  Ohio  we 
shall  speak  in  another  chapter.  We  are  concerned  at  present 
only  with  that  which  took  place  at  Far  West.  The  presi- 
dency of  the  Church  in  Missouri,  two  of  the  three  special 
witnesses,  and  three  of  the  twelve  apostles  were  excommuni- 
cated from  the  Church  in  Missouri  alone  during  this  period. 

For  some  time,  David  Whitmer,  John  Whitmer,  and 
William  W.  Pkelps,  had  been  acting  as  the  presidency  of  the 
Missouri  Saints.  But  they  had  not  given  satisfaction  in  this 
capacity  either  to  the  other  prominent  brethren  there — some 
of  whom  were  apostles — or  to  the  Saints  generally.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1838,  they  were  summoned  to  appear  before  a  council 
of  the  priesthood,  which  they  refused,  however,  to  do,  on 
the  grounds  that,  being  a  local  organization,  it  had  no  right 
to  try  a  presidency  of  the  Church,  who  should  be  tried  in- 
stead by  the  presiding  bishopric  of  the  Church.  This  was, 
of  course,  a  misapprehension  of  their  position,  for  theirs  also 
was  a  local  office ;  hence  this  council  had  a  perfect  right  to 
proceed  as  it  did  in  the  case.  This  body  of  priesthood,  after 
careful  deliberation  on  the  subject,  decided  that  W.  W. 
Phelps  and  John  Whitmer  were  in  transgression.  Afterwards 
when  they  showed  no  disposition  to  repent,  but  persisted  in 
their  wrongdoing,  they  were  cut  off  the  Church.  Phelps  re- 
turned to  the  Church  while  the  Saints  occupied  Nauvoo  and 
subsequently  came  to  Utah ;   Whitmer  died  outside  the  fold. 

In  April,  of  this  same  year,  Elder  Seymour  Brunson  pre- 
ferred nine  charges  against  Oliver  Cowdery,  six  of  which 
were  sustained  by  the  high  council  which  tried  the  case  April 
1 1th.  The  charges  that  were  sustained  are  as  follows  :  "  ( 1 ) 
Persecuting  the  brethren  by  urging  on  vexatious  law  suits 
against  them,  and  thus  distressing  the  innocent;  (2)  seeking 
to  destroy  the  character  of  President  Joseph  Smith,  Jun.,  by 


THE  PLACE  OF  THE   JUDGMENT  SEAT  221 

falsely  insinuating  that  he  was  guilty  of  adultery:  (3) 
treating  the  Church  with  contempt  by  not  attending  meet- 
ings; (4)  leaving  his  calling  to  which  God  had  appointed 
him,  for  the  sake  of  filthy  lucre,  and  turning  to  the  practice 
of  law;  (5)  disgracing  the  Church  by  being  connected  in 
the  bogus  business,  as  common  report  says;  and  (6)  dis- 
honestly retaining  notes  after  they  had  been  paid."  The  other 
three  charges  concerned  temporal  matters.  Oliver  wrote  the 
council  a  letter,  in  which  he  chose,  for  some  reason,  to  an- 
swer the  charges  that  they  had  dismissed,  without  referring 
to  the  others  except  to  say  that  he  "laid  them  carefully 
away."  He  therefore  asked  "to  withdraw  from  a  society 
assuming"  to  control  his  temporal  affairs.  "I  beg  you  sir," 
he  concluded,  "to  take  no  view  of  the  foregoing  remarks, 
other  than  my  belief  in  the  outward  government  of  the 
Church.  I  do  not  charge  you,  or  any  other  person  who  dif- 
fers with  me  on  these  points,  of  not  being  sincere,  but  such 
difference  does  exist,  which  I  sincerely  regret."  And  his 
name  was  erased  from  the  books.  Later,  while  the  Saints 
were  on  their  way  to  the  West,  Cowdery  returned  to  the 
Church,  dying  shortly  afterwards.  # 

Next  came  David  Whitmer.  The  charges  lodged  against 
him  were:  "(1)  Not  observing  the  word  of  wisdom;  (2) 
unchristianlike  conduct  in  neglecting  to  attend  meetings, 
in  uniting  with  and  possessing  the  same  spirit  as  the  dis- 
senters ;  (3)  writing  letters  to  the  dissenters  in  Kirtland  un- 
favorable to  the  cause,  and  to  the  character  of  Joseph  Smith, 
Jun. ;  (4)  neglecting  the  duties  of  his  calling,  and  separat- 
ing himself  from  the  Church,  while  he  had  a  name  among 
us;  and  (5)  signing  himself  'President  of  the  Church  of 
Christ'  in  an  insulting  letter  to  the  high  council  after  he  had 
been  cut  off  from  the  Presidency."  These  charges,  how- 
ever, were  not  discussed  at  the  meeting  of  the  council,  which 
was  held  April  13th,  for  the  reason  that  David  wrote  them  a 


222  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

letter,  in  which  he  refused  to  "acknowledge  the  correctness 
and  legality  of  those  former  councils"  and  declared  his  in- 
tentions to  "withdraw  from  their  fellowship  and  commun- 
ion." Acting  on  this  communication,  the  council  decided 
that  "the  charges  were  sustained,  and  consequently  consid- 
ered David  Whitmer  no  longer  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
Latter-day  Saints."    He  never  rejoined  "Mormonism." 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  neither  of  these  witnesses  to 
the  divinity  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  even  hints  a  denial  of 
his  testimony,  nor  indeed  of  any  foundational  doctrine  of 
the  Church.  The  real  cause  of  their  leaving  the  organiza- 
tion was  insubordination  to  the  authority  of  the  priesthood. 
David  Whitmer  always  believed  that  the  council  which  ex- 
communicated him  was  legally  incompetent  to  try  the  case. 

On  the  same  day  that  Whitmer  was  cut  off  the  Church, 
charges  were  preferred  against  Lyman  E.  Johnson,  one  of 
the  apostles.  What  these  were  we  are  not  informed.  The 
council,  after  reading  and  discussing  them  as  also  a  letter  re- 
ceived from  him,  excommunicated  him  from  the  society.  He 
died  outside  the  Church. 

Later  than  this — in  October,  1838 — when  excitement  ran 
high  against  the  "Mormons"  in  Missouri,  Thomas  B.  Marsh, 
president  of  the  quorum  of  the  twelve  apostles,  who  "had 
been  lifted  up  in  pride  by  his  exaltation  to  office  and  the 
revelations  of  heaven  concerning  him,  until  he  was  ready  to 
be  overthrown  by  the  first  adverse  wind  that  should  cross  his 
track,"  went  before  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Ray  county  and 
testified  to  some  of  the  false  charges  so  frequently  repeated 
against  the  Prophet  and  the  Church  in  those  days.  I  have 
heard  the  Prophet  say,"  he  declared  among  other  absurd 
things,  "that  he  would  yet  tread  down  his  enemies, 
and  walk  over  their  dead  bodies ;  and  if  he  was 
not  let  alone,  he  would  be  a  second  Mohammed  to  this 
generation     and     that     he     would     make     it     one     gore 


THE  PLACE  OF  THE  JUDGMENT  SEAT  223 

of  blood  from  the  Rocky  mountains  to  the  Atlantic 
ocean."  Orson  Hyde,  also  an  apostle,  declared,  under 
affidavit,  that  "most  of  the  statements  in  the  foregoing 
disclosure  he  knew  to  be  true ;  the  remainder  he  believed 
to  be  true."  Since  these  assertions  were  altogether  false  and 
a  misrepresentation  of  the  existing  conditions  at  Far  West, 
these  men  were  condemned  by  the  Church*.  Marsh  was  ex- 
communicated and  Hyde  disfellowshiped.  The  former, 
years  afterwards,  returned  to  the  Church  which  he  had  so 
grossly  injured  and  belied,  dying  at  Ogden  in  obscurity;  the 
latter,  after  confession  and  reparation,  was  forgiven  and  re- 
stored to  his  fellowship  and  to  his  quorum.  It  ought  to  be 
added  here  that  President  Taylor,  who  was  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  the  conditions  at  Far  West  and  whose  integrity 
no  one  will  question,  declares  positively  that  he  knew  the 
things  spoken  of  in  these  affidavits  to  be  untrue.  "How  do 
you  account  for  their  acts?"  he  asked,  and  replying  to  his 
own  question,  he  answered :  "Only  on  the  score  of  the  weak- 
ness of  our  common  humanity.  We  were  living  in  troublous 
times,  and  all  men's  nerves  are  not  proof  against  such  shocks 
as  we  then  had  to  endure." 

The  National  Birthday. 

July  4th,  1838,  was  celebrated  at  Far  West  by  a  procession 
and  general  exercises.  It  was  also  the  day  fixed  by  a  revela- 
tion for  the  laying  of  the  corner  stones  of  the  temple  on  the 
public  square.  The  Saints  on  this  day  also  took  occasion 
through  their  orator  to  declare  themselves  free  "from  all 
mobs  and  persecutions." 

The  Prophet  was  chosen  president  of  the  day;  Hyrum 
Smith,  vice-president ;  Sidney  Rigdon,  orator ;  Reynolds  Ca- 
hood,  chief  marshal,  with  George  M.  Hickle  and  J.  Hunt  as 
assistants ;  and  George  W.  Robinson,  clerk.  At  ten  o'clock 
the    procession    began.      First    came    the    infantry    (State 


224  ONE   HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

militia),  next  the  patriarchs  of  the  Church,  followed  by  the 
president,  vice-president,  and  orator  of  the  day,  the  leading- 
Church  officials,  the  architects,  the  general  public,  and  the 
cavalry.  There  was  abundant  music  during  the  march.  Ar- 
riving at  the  public  square,  a  circle,  with  the  ladies  in  front, 
was  formed  round  the  temple  excavations.  The  corner 
stones  were  then  laid  according  to  the  usual  order  in  the 
Church,  after  which  President  Rigdon  delivered  his  ora- 
tion. 

In  view  of  the  bearing  which  this  speech  had  on  subse- 
quent events  connected  with  ''Mormon"  history  in  Missouri, 
and  in  view  also  of  the  criticism  which  it  has  elicited  from 
non-"Mormon"  writers,  it  is  proper  that  we  should  say 
something  further  on  the  subject.  The  address,  no  doubt, 
contained  the  sentiments  of  other  leading  men  and  the  Saints 
generally  as  well  as  those  of  the  orator;  for  it  appeared  in 
The  Far  West,  a  periodical  published  at  Liberty,  Clay 
County,  and  also  issued  from  the  press  of  the  Elders'  Journal 
in  pamphlet  form.  But  expressed  in  the  naturally  intemper- 
ate diction  of  Sidney  Rigdon  on  a  day  when  the  American 
mind  involuntarily  turns  to  thoughts  of  freedom  and  human 
rights,  the  oration  gave  great  "offense"  to  the  overnice  keep- 
ers of  the  Missouri  conscience,  ever  on  the  alert  to  grasp  at 
the  slightest  occasion  that  promised  to  make  a  "Mormon"  an 
offender  for  a  word. 

And,  indeed,  this  fourth  of  July  speech  was  full  of  un- 
necessary fire.  "Our  cheeks,"  declared  the  orator,  "have 
been  given  to  the  smiters — our  heads  to  those  who  have 
plucked  off  the  hair.  We  have  not  only  when  smitten  on  one 
cheek  turned  the  other,  but  we  have  done  it  again  and  again, 
until  we  are  wearied  of  being  smitten,  and  tired  of  being 
trampled  upon."  He  took  God  and  angels  to  witness  that 
they  would  suffer  these  things  no  more  without  resistance, 
and  so  warned  all  men.  "We  will  never  be  the  aggressors," 


THE    PLACE   OF    THE    JUDGMENT    SEAT  225 

he  went  on,  "we  will  infringe  on  the  rights  of  no  people,  but 
shall  stand  for  our  own  until  death."  But  the  passage  that 
gave  most  offense,  is  this :  "The  mob  that  comes  on  us  to 
disturb  us,  it  shall  be  between  us  and  them  a  war  of  exter- 
mination ;  for  we  will  follow  them  until  the  last  drop  of  their 
blood  is  spilled,  or  else  they  will  have  to  exterminate  us,  for 
we  will  carry  the  seat  of  war  to  their  own  houses  and  their 
own  families,  and  one  party  or  the  other  shall  be  utterly  de- 
stroyed." While  it  would  be  difficult  altogether  to  justify 
the  strong  language  of  this  address,  still  the  impartial  his- 
torian will  view  it  in  the  light  of  the  occasion  on  which  it 
was  delivered  and  the  sufferings  which  the  Saints  had  en- 
dured, patiently  enough,  at  the  hands  of  violent  and  unprin- 
cipled men  in  Jackson  county,  together  with  the  criminal  in- 
difference of  both  State  and  county  officials  in  the  matter  of 
returning  them  to  their  homes.  But  it  would  mortally 
wound  the  sensitive  feelings  of  our  critics  if  we  were  to  offer 
the  slightest  palliation  of  so  grave  a  sin,  most  of  all  to  sug- 
gest that  the  expression  of  these  sentiments  by  the  "Mor- 
mons" is  less  of  a  crime  than  the  acting  out  of  unspeakably 
worse  sentiments  by  the  mobs  of  upper  Missouri,  legalized 
into  state  troops  by  the  infamous  Boggs. 

Thus  the  Saints,  augmented  every  month,  during  1837 
and  1838,  by  members  of  the  Church  from  Ohio,  the  various 
States  of  the  Union,  and  Canada,  set  to  with  joyful  labor  to 
build  for  themselves  a  new  home,  till  by  the  fall  of  the  latter 
year  nearly  the  whole  body  of  the  Church  was  located  in 
Caldwell  and  Daviess  counties,  the  place  of  the  judgment 
seat.  But  already  their  energy  and  rapid  progress  were  be- 
ginning to  excite  suspicion  in  the  hearts  of  jealous  neighbors, 
which,  united  by  unscrupulous  treachery  from  within  the 
Church,  was  to  accomplish  untold  hardship  and  privation  for 
this  most  unpopular  denomination. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


TRAITORS  AND   FRIENDS 


While  these  things  were  happening  at  Far  West,  events  in 
the  Ohio  town  were  hastening  to  a  crisis.  From  a  spiritual 
calm  in  the  bosom  of  the  Church  at  Kirtland,  such  as  men 
have  rarely  been  the  recipients  of  in  mortality,  the  sacred 
places  of  the  Saints,  by  reason  of  worldliness  in  several  of 
the  leading  brethren,  became  scenes  of  turbulence  and  hate. 

The  Ascendcry  of  the  Temporal. 

In  November,  1836,  there  was  organized,  under  the  advice 
of  the  Prophet,  what  was  called  the  "Kirtland  Safety  So- 
ciety"— an  institution  which  was  intended  by  its  founder  to 
be  of  great  benefit  to  the  Saints,  but  which,  owing  to  the 
counsel  of  men  less  far-sighted  than  he,  proved  the  spiritual 
undoing  of  many  leading  elders  and  also  of  the  Saints.  Its 
articles  of  agreement,  drawn  up  and  adopted  the  following 
January,  provided  for  a  capital  of  four  million  dollars,  to  be 
divided  into  shares  of  fifty  dollars  each.  The  management 
was  to  consist  of  thirty-two  stockholders,  chosen  annually, 
who  were  to  meet  twice  a  year.  A  committee  of  seven,  se- 
lected by  the  "managers"  from  among  themselves,  was  to 
"inquire  into  and  assist  in  all  matters"  pertaining  to  the  com- 
pany. Oliver  Cowdery  had  already  been  sent  to  Philadelphia 
to  procure  plates  for  the  "bank,"  and  Orson  Hyde  to  Colum- 
bus, Ohio,  with  a  petition  to  the  legislature  for  an  act  of  in- 
corporation. The  latter,  however,  returned  unsuccessful,  for 
the  State  law-makers  had  refused  to  grant  the  "Mormons" 
banking  privileges  "which  they  so  freely  granted  to  others."* 


*Hist.  of  the  Church,  Vol.  II.,  Dp.  467,  468. 


TRAITORS  AND  FRIENDS  227 

The  "bank,"  nevertheless,  did  business  without  a  charter,  but 
the  venture  proved  a  failure.  Deposits  were  made;  large 
sums  of  money  in  notes  were  floated  on  too  small  an  actual 
capital;  unwise  counsels,  growing  out  of  too  meagre  a  busi- 
ness experience,  prevailed ;  jealousies  arose  among  those 
who  had  the  management  of  the  institution.  And  so  it  failed 
before  it  got  fairly  established. 

The  secret  of  its  downfall,  however,  was  not  any  nor  all 
of  these  things.  It  was  more  deep-seated  than  that.  Dur- 
ing the  two  or  three  years  preceding  the  administration  of 
President  Van  Buren  there  occurred  a  reckless  spirit  of  spec- 
ulation throughout  the  United  States,  "which  was  fostered 
and  encouraged  by  excessive  banking,  and  the  consequent 
expansion  of  paper  currency  beyond  all  the  legitimate  wants 
of  the  country."  The  crash  came  when  debts  were  to  be 
paid,  notes  to  be  collected  and  paper  money  redeemed.  This 
was  in  1837.  "During  the  months  of  March  and  April  of 
this  year  the  failures  in  New  York  City  alone  amounted  to 
over  one  hundred  million  dollars.  The  state  of  affairs  became 
so  distressing  that  petitions  were  sent  to  the  President  from 
several  quarters,  and  a  deputation  of  merchants  and  bankers 
of  New  York  waited  upon  him  in  person"  soliciting  him  to 
defer  the  immediate  collection  of  duties  and  to  call  an  extra 
session  of  Congress.  Bank  failures  were  common  through- 
the  Union,  east  and  west. 

In  this  financial  whirlpool  the  Saints  were  caught.  At 
the  end  of  the  comparatively  immense  drain  on  their  means 
by  the  temple,  and  the  situation  at  Kirtland  had  been  re- 
lieved, there  succeeded  a  period  of  prosperity.  Speculation 
became  rife  not  only  with  the  lower  officers  of  the  Church, 
but  also  with  some  members  of  the  twelve.  Every  quorum 
of  the  priesthood  was  more  or  less  infected.  For  a  time  the 
people  felt  themselves  rich.    They  borrowed  money  to  invest 


228  ONE   HUNDRED  YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

in  business.  Mercantile  establishments  and  mills  sprang  up 
on  borrowed  capital.  Farms  were  bought  at  high  prices. 
The  desire  for  fine  clothes  and  fine  homes  was  indulged. 
In  1837,  the  reckoning  time  came  to  Kirtland  as  it  came 
to  the  nation  at  large,  and  there  followed  a  period  of  heavy 
depression. 

Threatened  Disintegration. 

Meantime,  there  had  grown  up  bitter  jealousies,  in  the 
Church,  chiefly  out  of  this  financial  trouble.  Some  one  had 
to  be  blamed  for  the  downfall  of  the  ''Society,"  and  who, 
declared  some  of  the  bankrupt  brethren,  so  likely  as  its 
founder.  Joseph  had  by  this  time  resigned  his  office  of  treas- 
urer. On  his  shoulders,  therefore,  was  shifted  the  whole 
weight  of  responsibility  for  its  failure.  Not  mismanagement, 
but  misappropriation  of  funds,  was  the  charge  that  flew  from 
mouth  to  mouth  among  the  disgruntled.  About  this  time 
Joseph  fell  sick,  and  his  recovery  was  for  a  time  despaired  of. 
This  was  pointed  out  by  enemies  as  the  judgment  of  God  for 
his  sins.  The  cry  of  "Fallen  Prophet!"  was  everywhere 
heard.  Men  turned  apostates  on  all  hands,  till  the  very  ex- 
istence of  the  Church  was  threatened.  No  one,  until  the 
test  came,  knew  who  was  his  friend.  Joseph's  life  became 
unsafe,  as  well  as  the  lives  of  those  who  took  his  part. 

Many  there  were  who,  in  those  days,  fell  by  the  wayside. 
Frederick  C  Williams,  Joseph's  second  counselor  in  the 
Presidency  of  the  Church;  William  E.  M'Lellin,  the  two 
Johnsons,  John  F.  Boynton,  and  Parley  P.  Pratt,  all  mem- 
bers of  the  quorum  of  twelve ;  Warren  Parish,  clerk  to  the 
Prophet,  and  many  others,  whom  it  is  not  important  to 
name,  were  among  the  disaffected.  We  have  already  seen 
that  the  movement  spread  to  Missouri,  sweeping  along  in  its 
current  such  men  as  Phelps,  David  and  John  Whitmer,  and 
Oliver  Cowdery.     Some  of  these  men,  seeing  their  error,  re- 


TRAITORS  AND  FRIENDS  229 

pented  and  sought  forgiveness.  Among  these  were  Parley 
P.  Pratt,  John  F.  Boynton,  and  Lyman  E.  Johnson.  The 
latter  two,  however,  soon  fell  back  into  their  old  ways  and 
spirit.  Apostle  Pratt,  when  he  perceived  the  light,  went  to 
the  Prophet  in  tears  and  confessed  his  errors,  and  the  latter 
"frankly  forgave  and  blessed  him." 

As  the  apostates  contended  that  Joseph  had  fallen,  it 
followed  that  they  supposed  themselves  the  true  Church.  An 
organization  was  effected.  A  young  woman,  living  at  David 
Whitmer's,  was  prophetess  to  the  new  party,  and  her  scribe 
was  no  less  a  person  than  Dr.  Williams,  former  counselor  to 
Joseph.  The  seceders  claimed  the  temple,  and  sought  by 
every  means  to  wrest  it  out  of  the  possession  of  the  Church 
Disputes  were  frequent  between  the  contending  parties  in  the 
very  rooms  of  this  sacred  edifice  where  so  many  glorious 
manifestations  of  the  divine  presence  had  occurred.  Once 
Father  Smith  was  preaching.  In  the  course  of  his  remarks 
he  cast  some  reflections  upon  the  conduct  of  Warren  Parish 
in  relation  to  the  "Safety  Society  Bank,"  at  which  the  latter 
became  highly  incensed,  although  the  reflections  were  per- 
fectly just.  Parish  dragged  the  old  gentleman  out  of  the 
pulpit.  The  aged  patriarch  appealed  to  Oliver  Cowdery, 
who  was  a  justice  of  the  peace.  But  Oliver  retained  his  seat. 
Whereupon  William  Smith  came  to  the  rescue  of  his  father ; 
but  while  he  was  carrying  Parish  bodily  out  of  the  house, 
Boynton  sprang  forward,  with  drawn  sword,  and  threatened 
Smith's  life.  So  much  stronger  apparently  was  the  apostate 
party  that  the  rest  dared  not  prevent  such  a  scene  in  the 
house  of  God. 

But  it  was  not  only  from  within  that  the  Prophet  and 
those  of  his  brethren  who  remained  firm  to  the  truth,  re- 
ceived violence.  The  non-"Mormon"  element  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, when  they  found  the  Church  rent  by  strife,  came 
forward  to  add  to  the  confusion.     During  the  time  of  the 


230  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

evident  prosperity  which  we  have  referred  to  in  connection 
with  the  bank,  many  of  the  Saints  had  become  involved 
in  debt.  Wherever,  therefore,  it  was  possible  for  a  Gentile 
creditor  who  was  under  the  spell  of  the  apostates,  to  plant  a 
suit  against  a  "Mormon"  debtor  of  the  opposite  party,  he 
was  not  slow  to  do  so.  In  this  way  whatever  property 
belonging  to  the  latter  was  seizable,  was  soon  taken.  The 
faithful  ones  were  seized  on  other  pretexts  than  debt.  Father 
Smith  was  arrested  at  the  instigation  of  his  one-time  friends, 
on  the  trifling  charge  of  performing  a  marriage  ceremony 
without  a  license,  and  narrowly  escaped  imprisonment. 

So  serious  an  aspect  did  this  opposition  take  on,  from 
without  and  from  within  the  Church,  that  the  Prophet  to- 
wards the  end  of  the  year  1837,  considered  his  life  in  danger. 
So  he  determined  to  flee  to  Missouri.  "One  evening,"  says 
his  mother  in  her  biography  of  her  son,  "before  finishing  his 
preparations  for  the  contemplated  journey,  he  sat  in  council 
with  the  brethren  at  our  house.  After  giving  them  direc- 
tions as  to  what  he  desired  them  to  do,  while  he  was  absent 
from  them,  and,  as  he  was  about  leaving  the  room,  he  said, 
'Well,  brethren,  one  thing  is  certain,  I  shall  see  you  again, 
let  what  will  happen,  for  I  have  the  promise  of  life  five  years, 
and  they  cannot  kill  me  until  that  time  is  expired.' ,;  That 
midnight — it  was  January,  1838 — he  and  his  family,  with 
barely  enough  clothes  and  bedding  and  an  insufficient  amount 
of  provisions,  took  their  departure  from  Kirtland  for 
Missouri,  in  company  with  President  Rigdon.  Joseph 
and  Sidney  rode  on  horseback.  The  weather  was  extremely 
cold,  and  very  often  they  had  to  sleep  in  the  wagons.  For 
two  hundred  miles  from  Kirtland  they  were  pursued  by 
their  enemies,  who  had  somehow  got  wind  of  their  escape. 
"They  frequently  crossed  our  track,"  declares  the  Prophet, 
"twice  they  were  in  the  houses  where  we  stopped,  once  we 
tarried  all  night  in  the  same  house  with  them,  with  only  a 


TRAITORS  AND  FRIENDS  231 

partition  between  us  and  them ;  and  heard  their  oaths  and 
imprecations,  and  threats  concerning  us,  if  they  could  catch 
us ;  and  late  in  the  evening  they  came  into  our  room  and  ex- 
amined us,  but  decided  we  were  not  the  men.  At  other  times 
we  passed  them  in  the  streets,  and  gazed  upon  them,  and 
they  on  us,  but  they  knew  us  not."  At  Dublin,  Indiana,  the 
Prophet  "sought  for  a  job  at  cutting  and  sawing  wood  to 
relieve  his  necessities."  Afterwards  a  Brother  Tomlinson 
sold  some  property  and  gave  Joseph  the  proceeds — three 
hundred  dollars — which  enabled  him  to  continue  his  journey 
He  reached  Far  West  in  February,  where  he  was  greeted  by 
warm  hearts  on  every  hand. 

But  the  Prophet  Joseph,  during  these  gloomy  days,  had 
his  defenders.  There  were  men  and  women  at  Kirtland 
whom  nothing  could  turn  against  him.  They  had  known 
him  for  years  in  his  private  and  his  public  life,  and  having 
no  ulterior  motive  to  serve,  clung  to  him  with  the  strongest 
cords  of  attachment.  Eagerly  would  they  have  given  the 
final  test  of  friendship,  so  sure  were  they  of  his  upright 
character  and  the  truth  of  his  prophetic  claims. 

One  of  these  was  Brigham  Young.  Once,  upon  discover- 
ing a  plot  to  waylay  Joseph  while  the  latter  was  coming 
to  Kirtland  from  Monroe,  Michigan,  Brigham  obtained  a 
carriage,  invited  William  Smith  to  join  him,  and  went  to 
meet  the  Prophet,  determined  to  frustrate  the  wicked  designs 
of  the  apostates.  When  these  three  met,  Joseph  took  his 
brother's  place  in  the  buggy,  while  William  took  Joseph's 
seat  in  the  stage  coach ;  and  thus  through  Brother  Young's 
thoughtful  actions  was  an  evil  purpose  defeated  and  the 
Prophet  probably  saved  from  harm.  On  another  occasion 
several  of  the  malcontents  had  met  in  an  upper  room  of  the 
temple  for  the  purpose  of  devising  means  of  displacing  the 
Prophet  Joseph  as  President  of  the  Church  and  securing  the 
office  for  David  Whitmer.    Brigham  was  in  attendance.  Dur- 


232  ONE   HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM. 

ing  the  course  of  the  discussion  he  rose  and,  with  character- 
istic boldness,  assured  them  that  Joseph  was  not  a  "fallen 
prophet,"  and  he  knew  it.  They  must  not  think  that  they 
could  destroy  the  Prophet's  character  and  overturn  his  di- 
vine appointment  by  slander  and  vituperation.  Their  secret 
meetings  and  their  plottings  would  prove  their  own  spiritual 
ruin  and  send  them  speedily  to  their  doom  in  hell.  One 
Jacob  Bump,  a  former  pugilist,  said  excitedly,  "How  can  I 
keep  my  hands  off  that  man?"  But  the  intrepid  Brigham 
calmly  replied  that  if  it  would  give  him  any  relief  he  "might 
lay  them  on!"  Subsequently,  however,  so  bold  did  these 
men  become  that  Brother  Young's  life  was  in  peril ;  and  he 
escaped  to  Missouri.  This  was  before  Joseph's  departure 
for  that  place. 

Another  of  the  Prophet's  defenders  was  the  late  Presi- 
dent John  Taylor,  then  a  new  convert  only  recently  come 
from  Canada.  He  had  come  to  Kirtland  to  meet  Joseph.  At 
one  of  the  Sunday  meetings  held  in  the  temple,  Warren  Par- 
rish  fiercely  denounced  the  absent  Prophet.  It  was  a  great 
trial  for  those  who  retained  their  integrity  to  sit  there  and 
have  to  listen  to  such  abusive  language  concerning  their 
leader,  and  that,  too,  in  the  very  temple  of  God.  But  appar- 
ently no  one  dared  to  say  a  word  for  the  Prophet,  so  sure 
was  Parrish  of  a  large  sympathy  in  the  audience.  Nearly  all 
the  leading  men  who  were  faithful  had  fled  for  safety.  Sud- 
denly John  Taylor,  then  a  comparative  stranger,  arose  and 
asked  permission  to  speak,  which  was  granted.  He  called 
attention  to  the  great  work  which  Joseph  had  done  in  reveal- 
ing truths  that  the  world  would  never  have  known  otherwise. 
"Whence,"  he  asked,  "do  we  get  our  intelligence,  and  knowl- 
edge of  the  laws,  ordinances  and  doctrines  of  the  kingdom 
of  God?  Who  understood  even  the  first  principles  of  the 
doctrines  of  Christ?  Who  in  the  Christian  world  taught 
them?    If  we,  with  our  learning  and  intelligence,  could  not. 


TRAITORS  AND  FRIENDS  233 

find  out  the  first  principles,  which  was  the  case  with  myself 
and  millions  of  others,  how  can  we  find  out  the  mysteries  of 
the  kingdom?  It  was  Joseph  Smith,  under  the  Almighty, 
who  developed  the  first  principles,  and  to  him  we  must  look 
for  further  instructions.  If  the  spirit  which  he  manifests 
does  not  bring  blessings,  I  am  very  much  afraid  that  the  one 
manifested  by  those  who  have  spoken,  will  not  be  very  likely 
to  secure  them.  The  children  of  Israel,  formerly,  after  see- 
ing the  power  of  God  manifested  in  their  midst,  fell  into  re- 
bellion and  idolatry,  and  there  is  certainly  very  great  danger 
of  us  doing  the  same  thing." 

In  this  voice,  which  was  destined  to  be  raised  so  fre- 
quently in  later  years  in  defense  of  the  truth,  the  timid  but 
true  friends  of  Joseph  present  at  this  meeting,  recognized  a 
powerful  bulwark  for  the  Prophet  and  the  word  of  God.  At 
about  the  same  time,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  who  had  been  instru- 
mental in  the  conversion  of  Taylor,  but  who  was  now 
"passing  through  a  cloud,"  approached  the  latter  one  day  and 
would  turn  him  away.  But  the  future  President  of  the 
Church  was  too  independent  and  too  thoroughly  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  the  Restoration  to  be  thus  moved.  He  ex- 
pressed his  surprise  that  his  spiritual  father  should  have  so 
suddenly  changed.  "Now,  Brother  Parley,"  said  this  new 
disciple,  with  a  firmness  that  must  have  shaken  the  hitherto 
staunch  apostle  in  his  mistaken  course,  "it  is  not  man  that  I 

am  following,  but  the  Lord If  the  work  was 

true  six  months  ago,  it  is  true  today !  if  Joseph  Smith  was 
then  a  prophet,  he  is  now  a  prophet." 

And  there  were  many  others,  only  less  conspicuous  than 
these  two,  who  stood  up  boldly  for  Joseph  and  the  truth.  "I 
was  pained  on  the  one  hand,"  said  Elder  Taylor,  in  reference 
to  those  evil  days,  "to  witness  the  hard  feelings  and  severe 
expressions  of  apostates;  while  on  the  other,  I  rejoiced  to 
see  the  firmness,  faith,  integrity,  and  joy  of  the  faithful." 


234  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

The  removal  of  the  headquarters  of  the  Church  to  Mis- 
souri was  the  signal  for  the  abandonment  of  Kirtland  by  the 
Saints.  In  July,  1838,  a  company  of  more  than  five  hundred 
left  for  the  West,  "pitching  their  tents  by  the  way,"  under 
the  direction  of  the  quorum  of  Seventy.  They  were  called 
the  Kirtland  camp,  and  upon  their  arrival  in  Missouri  settled 
at  Adam-ondi-Ahman.  After  this  there  were  only  a  few  left 
at  Kirtland,  but  a  small  branch  existed  there  as  late  as  1840. 
though  it  was  discontinued  in  this  year.  The  apostates,  how- 
ever, must  have  been  numerous ;  for  afterwards  we  find 
Lyman  Wight  reconverting  about  two  hundred  of  them  at 
Kirtland.  The  temple,  desecrated  by  apostates  and  other 
enemies  of  the  Church,  long  lay  useless,  a  silent  monument 
to  the  extraordinary  scenes  that  had  been  witnessed  within 
its  sacred  precincts.  It  is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  so-called 
"Reorganized  church." 

Such  were  the  violent  scenes  during  the  Last  Days  of 
Kirtland. 


CHAPTER  IX 


HERALDS  OF  GRACE 


While  the  Prophet  Joseph  was  standing  in  the  midst  of  trait- 
ors at  Kirtland  who  were  waiting  eagerly  for  an  opportunity 
to  strike  him  down,  he  had  remarked. to  some  faithful  breth- 
ren :  "Qod  has  revealed  to  me  that  something  new  must  be 
done  for  the  salvation  of  the  Church."  That  something  new 
proved  to  be  the  opening  of  the  British  mission — one  of  the 
most  important  movements  in  this  dispensation. 

The  "Mormon"  Proselyting  System. 

One  of  the  numerous  distinctive  features  of  the  Church,  and 
at  the  same  time  one  of  the  most  puzzling  to  an  outsider,  is 
our  great  missionary  organization.  As  is  well  known,  with 
us  practically  all  the  male  membership  of  the  Church  hold  the 
priesthood,  and  are  therefore  preachers,  supposed  to  hold 
themselves  in  readiness  to  go  to  the  remotest  corners  of  the 
earth  to  proclaim  the  gospel  when  called  upon  by  their  su- 
periors. This  of  itself  is  no  small  deviation  from  the  prevail- 
ing custom  among  Christian  sects,  of  a  chosen  clergy.  But 
the  most  extraordinary  thing  about  the  "Mormon"  idea  is, 
that  the  great  burden  of  expense  attached  to  carrying  the 
message  of  peace  to  the  world  is  borne  by  the  missionaries 
themselves  individually.  This,  in  parts  where  they  do  not 
travel  "without  purse  and  scrip,"  generally  means  several 
hundred  dollars,  sometimes  several  thousand,  not  estimating 
the  amount  required  by  the  family  at  home  nor  that  which 
might  have  been  earned  during  the  years  spent  in  the  mis- 
sionary field.    There  have  been  times  in  the  history  of  "Mor- 


236  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

monism"  when  two  thousand  men  have  been  engaged  in 
the  foreign  ministry  alone.  It  is  not  difficult,  therefore,  to 
see  that  this  is  an  immense  drain  on  the  private  financial  re- 
sources of  individual  members  of  the  Church.  And  yet  there 
is  little  indication  that  this  is  felt ;  for  there  is  no  more  pros- 
perous community  to  be  found  anywhere  than  the  "Mor- 
mons"— these  very  men  who  devote  so  much  time  and  means 
to  preaching  their  faith  abroad.  During  his  life,  an  average 
Latter-day  Saint  may  fill  two  or  three  ^missions  of  from  two 
to  five  years  each.  In  these  days  when  sanctity  itself  is 
measured  in  terms  of  dollars  and  cents,  it  is  no  marvel  that 
non-" Mormons"  are  puzzled  at  what  they  view  a  tremen- 
dous sacrifice  of  personal  interest. 

And  yet  this  immense  expenditure  of  labor  and  means  has 
been  going  on  ever  since  "Mormonism"  began.  At  first, 
of  course,  it  was  small  and  limited  to  the  vicinity  of  Palmyra 
and  Fayette.  But  not  for  long.  As  soon  as  converts  multi- 
plied the  male  members  among  these  devoted  much  of  their 
time  to  publishing  the  word.  In  a  surprisingly  short  period, 
the  disciples  of  Joseph  Smith  might  be  seen  in  all  the  States 
of  the  Union,  east  and  west.  Then  the  work  was  extended 
into  Canada  and  England,  into  European  and  Asiatic  coun- 
tries generally,  and  into  the  islands  of  the  sea,  till  now  most 
countries  of  the  civilized  world  have  echoed  to  the  voice  of 
the  "Mormon"  propagandist. 

But  this  enormous  task  of  warning  the  world  has  mean- 
time been  of  incalculable  benefit  to  the  Church  otherwise 
than  by  increasing  its  membership.  It  has  been  an  unfail- 
ing source  of  education  to  the  Saints,  both  individually  and 
collectively.  No  other  dictinctive  body  is  as  rapidly  becom- 
ing so  cosmopolitan.  These  thousands  of  missionaries, 
young  and  old,  picked  up  from  every  settlement,  almost 
from  every  family,  and  from  every  walk  of  life,  visit  the 
various  countries  of  the  world;  they  brush  up  against  all 


HERALDS  OF  GRACE  237 

classes  of  people,  view  their  habits  and  customs,  inspect  their 
cities,  industries,  and  general  civilization,  associate  intimately 
with  them  in  public  and  private,  learn  their  language,  read 
their  literature,  think  their  thoughts ;  and  then  they  return 
home  laden  with  new  ideas,  which  they  scatter  with  a  free 
hand  in  the  towns  and  cities  where  they  live,  thus  lifting 
whole  communities  to  a  higher  and  broader  plane  of  life. 

Verily,  this  latter-day  work  is  a  "marvelous  work  and  a 
wonder;"  for  what  human  wisdom  could  have  devised  so 
comprehensive  and  effective  a  means  of  proclaiming  the  pe- 
culiar tenets  of  the  religion,  and  at  the  same  time  contribute 
so  much  to  the  general  elevation  of  the  mind? 

The  first  indication  of  the  extensiveness  of  this  mission- 
ary system  was  the  labors  of  Parley  P.  Pratt  in  Canada  and 
of  Heber  C.  Kimball  in  England. 

The  Canadian  Mission. 

One  evening,  in  April,  1836,  Apostle  Pratt,  having  retired  at 
an  early  hour,  was  meditating  upon  his  present  circumstances 
and  his  future  course.  He  was  then  living  at  Kirtland.  All 
his  fellow-apostles  had  either  gone  on  missions  or  were 
about  to  go.  But  he  was  deeply  in  debt,  not  only  on 
account  of  the  past  winter's  household  expenses,  but  also, 
and  especially,  on  account  of  a  lot  which  he  had  pur- 
chased and  a  house  which  he  had  bulit  on  it.  While  he  was 
at  the  point  of  debating  in  his  mind  "whether  to  go  on  a  mis- 
sion or  stay  at  home,  and  endeavor  to  sustain  his  family  and 
pay  his  debts,"  there  came  an  unexpected  knock  at  his  door. 
He  rose  and  opened  it,  whereupon  Heber  C.  Kimball  and 
some  other  brethren  entered.  They  were  filled  with  the  spirit 
of  prophecy,  declares  Parley,  and  blessed  him  and  his  wife, 
making  over  their  heads  some  of  the  most  astonishing  pre- 
dictions. His  wife  should  be  healed  of  a  long-standing  in- 
firmity, and  should  bear  a  son,  who  was  to  be  named  Parley. 


238  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

This  was  the  more  extraordinary  because,  though  this  couple 
had  been  married  ten  years  no  child  had  come  to  their  home. 
Elder  Pratt  was  advised  not  to  "take  thought"  concerning 
his  debts,  for  the  Lord  would  supply  him  abundantly. 
"Thou  shalt  go  to  upper  Canada,"  continued  the  prophetic 
blessing,  "even  the  city  of  Toronto,  the  capital,  and  there 
thou  shalt  find  a  people  prepared  for  the  fulness  of  the  gos- 
pel, and  they  shall  receive  thee,  and  thou  shalt  organize  the 
Church  among  them,  and  it  shall  spread  thence  into  the  re- 
gions round  about,  and  many  shall  be  brought  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth  and  shall  be  filled  with  joy ;  and  from  the 
things  growing  out  of  this  mission,  shall  the  fulness  of  the 
gospel  spread  into  England,  and  cause  a  great  work  to  be 
done  in  that  land."  This,  of  course,  set  Parley's  mind  at 
rest,  and  he  was  soon  on  his  way  to  the  city  of  Toronto. 

This  was  not  the  first  time,  however,  that  "Mormon"  mis- 
sionaries had  visited  Canada.  Elder  Orson  Pratt  had 
preached  at  Patten,  in  July,  1833 ;  and  the  Prophet  himself 
with  Sidney  Rigdon,  had  delivered  several  discourses  at 
Mount  Pleasant  and  adjoining  towns — about  ninety  miles 
southwest  of  Toronto — in  October  of  the  same  year.  On  this 
occasion  Joseph  had  baptized  sixteen  persons,  and  there 
were  others,  he  says,  who  believed.  At  Loborough,  also, 
there  must  have  been  some  missionary  work  done,  for  we 
read  in  the  Prophet's  journal,  under  date  of  June  29th,  1835, 
of  a  special  conference  being  held  by  the  twenty-five  mem- 
bers forming  the  branch  there.  Six  of  the  apostles — Elders 
Patten,  Kimball,  Orson  Pratt,  Boynton,  and  the  two  John- 
sons— were  present  on  this  occasion  to  instruct  the  Saints  on 
points  of  doctrine  concerning  which  they  had  desired  infor- 
mation. But  beyond  these,  and  probably  one  or  two  other, 
isolated  instances,  it  appears  that  nothing  had  been  done  to- 
ward opening  a  regular  mission  in  the  Dominion  prior  to 
1836. 


HERALDS  OF  GRACE  239 

On  reaching  Toronto,  in  Ontario,  Parley  P.  Pratt  went 
to  the  home  of  John  Taylor,  the  same  who  afterwards  be- 
came president  of  the  Church,  to  whom  he  had  been  given  a 
letter  of  introduction  by  a  person  he  had  met  at  Hamilton, 
just  across  the  lake.  But  Mr.  Taylor  received  him  some- 
what coldly.  That  night  he  went  to  a  hotel.  Next  morning 
he  called  on  several  ministers  of  different  churches,  but 
he  was  "refused  hospitality,"  and  denied  the  privilege  of 
preaching  in  any  of  their  chapels.  He  applied  to  the  sheriff 
for  the  court  house,  but  with  no  better  success.  "Rather  an 
unpromising  beginning,"  he  thought,  "considering  the  proph- 
ecies on  my  head  concerning  Toronto."  He  repaired  to  a 
pine  grove  just  outside  of  town,  where  he  prayed  that  the 
Lord  would  open  the  way,  for  he  had  done  all  he  could.  Re- 
turning to  Mr.  Taylor's,  he  put  his  hand  to  his  baggage, 
with  a  view  of  leaving  a  place  where  he  could  do  no  good, 
when  a  Mrs.  Walton  came  in  and  invited  him  to  stay  at  her 
house.  Feeling  that  this  was  an  answer  to  his  prayer,  he 
went  with  her.  When  this  good  woman  found  that  the  new 
preacher  believed  in  signs  following  faith,  she  solicited  him 
to  visit  a  friend  of  hers  who  was  blind,  for  the  purpose  of  ad- 
ministering to  her.  Elder  Pratt  did  so,  with  the  result  that 
the  woman's  sight  was  completely  restored.  Meanwhile  he 
was  meeting  people  and  attending  religious  services  in  the 
town,  but  made  no  appointments  to  preach. 

Now,  at  Toronto  there  was  a  society  composed  of  a  num- 
ber of  persons,  men  and  women,  who,  having  become  dis- 
satisfied with  all  the  churches,  met  together  twice  a  week 
for  the  purpose  of  discussing  topics  pertaining  to  religion. 
Mr.  Taylor  and  his  wife  and  Mrs.  Walton  belonged  to  this 
group.  One  Sunday  evening  Elder  Pratt  was  invited  to 
their  meeting.  On  this  occasion  John  Taylor  led  the  discus- 
sion by  reading  the  text  and  commenting  upon  it,  which  hap- 
pened to  be  the  account  of   Philip's   journey  to   Samaria. 


240  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

"Where  is  our  modern  Philip?"  asked  Mr.  Taylor;  "where 
are  our  preachers  today  authorized  of  God  to  baptize  with 
water  for  the  remission  of  sin?  Where,  moreover,  is  the 
ancient  Church  with  apostles  and  prophets,  inspired  of 
heaven?  Where  are  the  gifts  and  blessings  which  Jesus  said 
should  follow  the  true  believer  ?"  Others  present  made  simi- 
lar remarks.  Elder  Pratt  was  invited  to  speak.  But  he  de- 
clined owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  hour.  An  appointment 
was  made  for  him.  He  spoke  on  the  apostasy  from  the 
primitive  Church.  After  this  he  preached  twice  to  the  same 
audience,  once  on  the  glories  of  the  New  Dispensation  as  pre- 
dicted in  the  Scriptures,  and  then  on  the  actual  fulfillment  of 
these  prophecies  in  the  visions  and  revelations  of  our  own 
day.  All  the  members  of  the  society,  except  the  chairman, 
were  converted,  John  Taylor,  his  wife,  and  Mrs.  Walton 
being  the  first  to  be  baptized. 

The  wedge  of  the  gospel  thus  inserted  into  this  body  of 
independent  thinkers  cleft  in  twain  the  religious  sentiment  at 
Toronto  and  vicinity  for  many  miles.  Mr.  Taylor,  a  man 
of  considerable  education,  good  standing  in  the  community, 
and  a  former  Methodist  preacher,  was  ordained  an  elder, 
and  his  services  were  enlisted  in  the  new  ministry.  At  a 
town  nine  miles  distant  these  two  elders  called  on  Joseph 
Fielding,  who,  with  his  two  sisters  was  subsequently  bap- 
tized, though  the  young  ladies,  when  the  "Mormons"  first 
came  to  their  home,  had  escaped  to  a  neighbor's.  One  of 
these  afterwards  became  the  wife  of  Patriarch  Hyrum 
Smith  and  the  mother  of  President  Joseph  F.  Smith. 

After  two  months'  labor  at  Toronto,  Elder  Pratt  re- 
turned home  to  Kirtland,  for  some  of  his  debts  were  pressing 
and  he  needed  a  fresh  supply  of  printed  matter  to  circulate 
among  the  people.  "I  accordingly  gave  out  word,"  he  says, 
"at  a  meeting  in  Toronto  one  Sunday  evening,  that  I  should 
take  boat  for  home  next  morning.     Now  all  this  time  I  had 


HERALDS  OF  GRACE  241 

asked  no  man  for  money,  nor  had  I  explained  my  circum- 
stances ;  however,  on  shaking  hands  at  the  close  of  the  next 
meeting,  several  bank  bills  were  secretly  shaken  into  my 
hands,  amounting  in  all  to  several  hundred  dollars."  On 
reaching  home,  he  found  his  wife  entirely  healed  of  all  her 
ailment.  After  a  short  visit  he  went  back  to  Canada,  taking 
Mrs.  Pratt  with  him. 

The  work  there  increased  in  a  marvelous  manner.  Num- 
bers were  added  to  the  Church ;  the  gifts  of  the  gospel  were 
manifested  on  every  hand.  Soon  the  labor  of  visiting  and 
preaching  became  too  arduous  for  Elder  Pratt,  and  Apostles 
Hyde  and  Orson  Pratt  were  sent  to  aid  him.  A  family  of 
infidels,  named  Lamphire,  whom  everyone  had  given  up  as 
reprobate,  were  converted.  A  Mrs.  Whitney,  living  in  the 
same  neighborhood,  strangely  afflicted  with  bodily  contor- 
tions, was  immediately  healed  upon  being  administered  to  by 
Elder  Pratt. 

Great  interest,  not  tp  say  excitement,  was  manifested  in 
Toronto  and  adjacent  towns.  For  a  time  this  was  added  to 
by  a  diversion  in  the  nature  of  opposition  by  a  Reverend  Mr. 
Caird,  a  Scotch  preacher,  who  visited  Canada  periodically 
as  a  religious  reformer.  Throughout  Ontario  this  man  had 
an  immense  reputation.  When,  therefore,  Elder  Pratt,  who 
was  himself  a  man  of  rare  eloquence  and  personal  magnet- 
ism, appeared  with  his  new  religion,  everybody  was  anxious 
that  the  two  should  get  together,  for  they  felt  that  the  com- 
bat of  these  giants  would  be  a  great  source  of  edification. 
Parley  went  to  Kingston,  a  place  about  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  miles  distant  up  the  lake,  where  Rev.  Caird  was 
preaching.  But  the  cautious  reformer,  having  heard  of  the 
"Mormon"  apostle's  fame,  could  not  be  induced  to  debate. 
At  his  public  harangues  on  the  latter's  creed  and  people,  he 
would  not  let  the  elder  make  a  reply.  Handbills,  however, 
were    circulated,    refuting    the    slanders    of    the    reverend 


242  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

preacher.  He  fled  to  Toronto,  where  he  was  followed  by  the 
apostle.  Here  Elders  Hyde  and  Parley  Pratt,  securing  the 
free  use  of  the  public  hall,  preached  to  immense  audiences, 
exposing  Mr.  Caird's  pretentions  and  his  assertions  con- 
cerning the  Church.  The  "Christian"  minister's  next  move 
was,  therefore,  to  make  a  precipitate  flight  to  Scotland, 
where,  ten  years  later,  Elder  Pratt  found  him  "living  in 
private  life  and  of  no  notoriety." 

We  have  no  means  of  ascertaining  how  many  converts 
were  made  at  this  time  in  the  Canadian  mission,  but  we  have 
reason  to  believe  that  the  number  was  very  large.  There 
must  have  been  many  hundreds.  Subsequently  to  this,  Apos- 
tle John  E.  Page  alone  baptized  more  than  six  hundred  per- 
ons  there.  At  the  time  the  Saints  occupied  Caldwell  county, 
we  read  of  several  large  companies  coming  there  from 
Canada. 

Elder  Pratt  returned  home.  His  wife  bore  him  a  son, 
whom  he  named  Parley ;  but  the  mother,  "when  the  child 
was  dressed,  and  she  had  looked  upon  it,  ceased  to  live  in  the 
flesh."  There  remains  only  one  more  item  of  the  remarkable 
prophecy  uttered  upon  this  apostle's  head  by  Heber  C.  Kim- 
ball, to  be  fulfilled.  But  we  shall  see  presently  that  that,  too, 
was  not  to  fail. 

The  English  Mission. 

"Let  my  servant  Heber  go  to  England  to  proclaim  my  gos- 
pel, and  open  the  door  of  salvation  to  that  nation."  Such 
were  the  words  which  the  Prophet  Joseph  whispered  into 
the  ear  of  Heber  C.  Kimball,  as  the  latter  sat  "in  front  of  the 
stand,  above  the  sacrament  table,  on  the  Melchizedek  side  of 
the  temple,  in  Kirtland,"  on  the  evening  of  June  4th,  1837. 
"The  thought,"  says  his  biographer,  Apostle  Orson  F.  Whit- 
ney, "was  overpowering.  He  had  been  surprised  at  his  call  to 
the  apostleship ;  now  he  was  overwhelmed.  Like  Jeremiah  he 


HERALDS  OF  GRACE  243 

staggered  under  the  weight  of  his  own  weakness,  exclaiming 
in  self-humiliation:  'O  Lord,  I  am  a  man  of  stammering 
tongue,  and  altogether  unfit  for  such  a  work ;  how  can  I  go 
to  preach  in  that  land,  which  is  so  famed  throughout  Chris- 
tendom for  learning,  knowledge  and  piety;  the  nursery  of 
religion;  and  to  a  people  whose  intelligence  is  proverbial?'  " 
He  begged  that  Brigham  Young  might  go  with  him,  but  the 
Prophet  had  use  at  home  for  that  stalwart.  While  his  knees 
were  yet  shaking  with  the  weight  of  responsibility  of  so 
great  an  undertaking,  apostates  endeavored  to  throw  dis- 
couragement in  his  way ;  but  the  faithful  ones  said,  "Go  and 
do  as  the  Prophet  has  told  you,  and  you  shall  prosper  and  be 
blessed  with  power  to  do  a  glorious  work."  Subsequently  Or- 
son Hyde  and  Willard  Richards — the  latter  of  whom  Heber 
had  prophetically  promised  long  before  he  ever  thought  of 
going  to  England  that  they  two  should  go  together — and 
Joseph  Fielding,  late  from  Canada,  were  added  to  the  mis- 
sion. The  Presidency  laid  their  hands  upon  the  chief  apostle 
and  invoked  great  blessings  upon  his  head.  God  would  make 
him  mighty  to  win  souls ;  angels  should  bear  him  up,  lest  his 
feet  should  slip;  and  he  should  be  a  means  of  salvation  to 
thousands. 

On  the  13th  of  June,  these  elders  left  for  the  shores  of 
Britain.  On  their  way  they  were  joined  by  John  Goodson," 
Isaac  Russell,  and  John  Snyder,  from  Canada.  At  New 
York  City  they  were  compelled  to  wait  till  they  could  obtain 
sufficient  means  to  pay  their  passage  over  the  waters,  though 
the  ship  lay  at  anchor  ready  to  depart.  Meantime,  they  sent 
one  hundred  and  eighty  copies  of  Orson  Hyde's  Timely 
Warnings  to  as  many  of  New  York's  ministers,  and  distrib- 
uted great  numbers  throughout  the  city.  At  last  they  ob- 
tained the  necessary  amount — eighteen  dollars  apiece — to 
pay  for  a  berth  in  the  Gar  rick.  It  was  now  the  1st  of  July. 
After  nineteen  days'  sailing,  they  entered  the  Mersey,  oppo- 


244  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

site  Liverpool,  and  the  seven  "Mormon"  missionaries  leaped 
ashore,  "homeless  in  a  land  of  homes." 

Calling  upon  the  Lord  for  guidance,  they  were  directed  by 
the  Spirit  to  go  to  Preston,  thirty-one  miles  from  Liver- 
pool. When  they  reached  this  place,  July  22d,  it  was  elec- 
tion day.  Queen  Victoria  had  just  ascended  the  throne,  and 
members  of  Parliament  were  to  be  chosen.  An  immense 
throng  paraded  the  streets,  with  music,  flags,  and  banners, 
shouting  and  hurrahing.  One  of  the  banners  floating  above 
their  heads,  contained  the  letters,  "Truth  will  Prevail."  As 
it  approached  the  place  where  the  Elders  were  they  shouted, 
"Amen !  Thanks  be  to  God,  Truth  will  prevail !"  A  fitting 
reception,  this,  for  the  penniless  preachers  from  America 
bringing  to  the  British  public  the  pearl  of  great  price. 

And  here  the  English  mission  connects  itself  with  the 
Canadian,  through  the  prediction  which  Elder  Kimball  had 
uttered  over  the  head  of  Elder  Pratt,  more  than  a  year  be- 
fore. Joseph  Fielding,  Heber's  fellow-missionary  to  Eng- 
land, was  one  of  Parley's  converts  at  Toronto.  He  had  rela- 
tives in  the  neighborhood  of  Preston,  to  whom,  after  his 
conversion,  he  wrote  concerning  the  rise  of  the  new  Ameri- 
can Church.  One  of  these  relatives  was  a  Reverend  James 
Fielding,  the  minister  of  Vauxhall  chapel  in  this  English 
town.  So  interested  had  he  become  in  the  communications 
of  his  brother  respecting  the  marvelous  character  of  the 
Restoration  that  he  advised  his  congregation  to  pray  that 
these  inspired  prophets  might  visit  them  also.  This,  cer- 
tain members  of  his  church  had  done,  and  God  now  con- 
descended to  answer  their  prayers ;  for  it  is  stated  that 
"many,  in  dreams  and  visions,  were  shown  the  very  men 
whom  the  Lord  was  about  to  send  into  their  midst.  Heber 
C.  Kimball,  especially,  on  his  arrival  in  Preston,  was  recog- 
nized by  persons  who  had  never  until  then  beheld  him  in  the 
flesh."    The  first  evening  after  the  missionaries  had  reached 


HERALDS  OF  GRACE  245 

Preston,  they  received  an  invitation  to  visit  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Fielding,  which  Elders  Kimball,  Hyde,  and  Goodson  ac- 
cepted. Mr.  Watson,  Fielding's  brother-in-law,  a  minister 
from  Bedford,  was  also  present  at  the  interview.  The  next 
day  being  Sunday,  the  Elders  attended  the  chapel  services, 
which  included  a  sermon  by  the  pastor.  To  their  surprise, 
but  in  answer  to  a  silent  prayer  they  had  offered  during  the 
discourse,  the  preacher,  unsolicited,  announced  that  at  3 
o'clock  that  afternoon  some  ministers  from  America  would 
preach  at  that  place.  Apostles  Kimball  and  Hyde  spoke  to 
the  audience,  which  was  unusually  large.  Another  appoint- 
ment was  made  for  that  evening,  which  was  filled  by  Elders 
Goodson  and  Fielding.  Thus  was  literally  fulfilled  Apostle 
Kimball's  diction,  for  "from  the  things  growing  out  of  that 
mission"  of  Parley  P.  Pratt's  to  Canada,  "the  gospel  spread 
into  England." 

At  this  point  Satan,  becoming  alarmed,  sought  to  frustrate 
the  work  of  God,  through  direct  and  indirect  means.  First, 
he  closed  the  doors  of  Vauxhall  chapel  against  the  mis- 
sionaries. Mr.  Fielding,  when  he  found  that  the  preach- 
ing of  the  American  elders  was  likely  to  lose  him  his  flock, 
and  therefore  his  source  of  temporal  gains — for  a  number 
of  the  congregation  had  asked  for  baptism,  and  many  others 
believed — informed  Elder  Kimball  that  he  could  have  the  use 
of  his  meeting-house  no  longer.  He  forbade  the  apostle 
to  baptize  any  of  his  people.  But  the  redoubtable  Heber 
replied:  "They  are  of  age  and  can  act  for  themselves;  I 
shall  baptize  all  who  come  to  me,  asking  no  favors  of  any 
man."  Whereat,  we  are  told,  "Mr.  Fielding  trembled  as 
though  he  had  a  chill." 

Failing  to  check  the  progress  of  Truth,  the  Adversary 
of  Souls  resorted  to  his  old  devices.  About  daybreak  of 
Sunday,  July  30th,  Isaac  Russell  came  into  the  room  occu- 
pied by  Elders  Kimball  and  Hyde,  and  asked  them  to  rebuke 


246  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

the  evil  spirits  with  which  he  was  possessed.  They  did  so, 
whereupon  Heber  was  "struck  with  great  force  by  some  in- 
visible power,  and  fell  senseless  on  the  floor."  Upon  recov- 
ering, the  Lord  showed  him  in  vision  the  hosts  of  the  infer- 
nal regions.  "We  gazed  upon  them  about  an  hour  and  a 
half  (by  Willard's  watch),"  declares  Elder  Kimball,  and  his 
testimony  concerning  this  extraordinary  revelation  is  cor- 
roborated by  Orson  Hyde.  "We  were  not  looking  towards 
the  window,  but  towards  the  wall.  Space  appeared  before 
us,  and  we  saw  the  devils  coming  in  legions,  with  their  lead- 
ers, who  came  within  a  few  feet  of  us.  They  came  towards 
us  like  armies  rushing  to  battle.  They  appeared  to  be 
men  of  full  stature,  possessing  every  form  and  feature  of 
men  in  the  flesh,  who  were  angry  and  desperate ;  and  I  shall 
never  forget  the  vindictive  malignity  depicted  on  their  coun- 
tenances as  they  looked  me  in  the  eye ;  and  any  attempt  to 
paint  the  scene  which  then  presented  itself,  or  portray  their 
malice  and  enmity,  would  be  vain.  I  perspired  exceedingly, 
my  clothes  becoming  as  wet  as  if  I  had  been  taken  out  of  the 
river.  I  felt  excessive  pain,  and  was  in  the  greatest  distress 
for  some  time.  I  cannot  even  look  back  on  the  scene  without 
feelings  of  horror ;  yet  by  it  I  learned  the  power  of  the  ad- 
versary, his  enmity  against  the  servants  of  God,  and  got 
some  understanding  of  the  invisible  world.  We  distinctly 
heard  those  spirits  talk  and  express  their  wrath  and  hellish 
designs  against  us.  However,  the  Lord  delivered  us  from 
them,  and  blessed  us  exceedingly  that  day."  With  consid- 
erable misgiving  as  to  his  own  condition  at  the  time,  Elder 
Kimball,  when  he  got  home,  asked  Joseph  the  Prophet  con- 
cerning this  vision.  "When  I  heard  of  it,"  said  the  latter, 
"it  gave  me  great  joy,  for  I  then  knew  that  the  work  of  God 
had  taken  root  in  that  land."  That  morning  at  nine  o'clock 
Apostle  Kimball  baptized  nine  persons,  George  D.  Watt  be- 
ine  the  first  to  receive  the  ordinance.    One  of  these — Sister 


HERALDS  OF  GRACE  247 

Elizabeth  Walmsley — was  suddenly  healed,  by  the  power  of 
God,  of  that  dread  disease,  consumption. 

The  missionaries  now  separated,  Elders  Richards  and 
Goodson  going  to  the  city  of  Bedford,  Russell  and  Snyder, 
to  Alston,  in  Cumberland,  and  Apostles  Kimball  and  Hyde 
and  Priest  Fielding  to  remain  where  they  were.  Not  long 
after  this,  Snyder  came  to  Preston  and  reported  that,  though 
he  and  Russell  had  baptized  about  thirty  souls,  they  had  met 
with  a  good  deal  of  opposition.  After  a  few  days'  visit  with 
the  brethren  here,  Snyder  and  Goodson,  who  had  also  de- 
serted his  field  of  labor,  left  for  their  home  in  America,  the 
latter  pretending  that  his  business  there  required  him  to  do 
so,  and  taking  with  him  nearly  two  hundred  copies  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon  and  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  which  he  re- 
fused either  to  give  or  sell  to  Elder  Kimball,  though  he 
burned  them  before  he  reached  his  journey's  end.  Goodson 
had  brought  about  considerable  trouble  to  his  companions  by 
his  injudicious  methods  of  preaching;  for  he  administered 
"meat"  to  the  new  converts,  who  could  barely  endure  the 
"milk  of  the  word."  He  had  turned  away  the  Reverend 
Matthews  from  the  truth  by  reading  to  him  the  vision  of  the 
three  glories,  a  thing  which  Joseph  had  specifically  forbidden 
the  outgoing  missionaries  to  do.  Had  it  not  been  for  this, 
and  more  or  less  sickness  on  the  part  of  Elder  Richards, 
more  good  might  have  been  accomplished  at  Bedford  and 
vicinity.  As  it  was,  two  branches  of  forty  members  were 
"raised  up"  in  the  neighborhood. 

Meanwhile,  the  Preston  ministry  was  making  phenom- 
enal progress.  On  the  evening  of  their  third  Sunday  in  Eng- 
land, the  elders  organized  a  branch  of  twenty-seven  mem- 
bers. They  now  extended  their  labors  into  the  villages 
adjacent  to  Preston,  where  they  met  with  the  most  amazing 
success.  Among  these  small  towns,  we  find  Penwortham, 
Walkerfold,  Thornlev,  Ribchetser,  Chatburn,  Clithero,  Bar- 


248  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

she  Lees,  Waddington,  Leyland  Moss,  Leyland  Lane,  Ec- 
cleston,  Hunter's  Hill,  Euxton,  Whittle,  Dauber's  Lane, 
Bamber  Bridge,  Longton,  Southport,  Downham,  Brumley, 
Brampton,  Bolton,  and  Chorley,  in  all  of  which  branches  of 
the  Church  were  established. 

Of  the  work  done  at  Wakefield  and  Chatburn  we  may 
speak  more  in  detail.  On  August  4th,  Elder  Kimball  had 
baptized  and  confirmed  Miss  Jenetta  Richards,  a  young 
girl  of  unusual  intelligence,  the  daughter  of  a  minister  at 
Walkerfold,  who  had  come  on  a  visit  to  the  Walmsley's  at 
Preston.  On  her  return  home,  she  communicated  the  facts 
concerning  the  new  Church  to  her  father,  John  Richards, 
who  forthwith,  in  fulfillment  of  the  "Mormon"  apostle's  pre- 
diction to  Jenetta,  extended  an  invitation  to  the  mission- 
aries to  preach  in  his  chapel  on  Sunday  evening.  Elder 
Kimball  went  to  Walkerfold,  and  was  received  by  a  "God 
bless  you!"  from  the  reverend  gentleman.  He  preached  a 
touching  discourse  to  a  large  audience,  and,  by  request, 
spoke  again  on  Wednesday  evening.  Subsequently,  all  the 
younger  members  of  Mr.  Richards'  congregation,  and  many 
of  the  older  ones,  were  baptized. 

At  Chatburn,  also,  a  village  near  Preston  which  the 
ministers  for  thirty  years  past  had  always  avoided  as  a  col- 
lection of  unteachables,  Elder  Kimball  was  successful  be- 
yond the  belief  of  his  fellow-missionaries  themselves.  There, 
standing  on  a  barrel  in  a  great  tithing  barn,  he  preached  to  a 
large  crowd  of  eager  listeners.  "When  I  concluded,"  he 
says,  "I  felt  some  one  pulling  at  my  coat,  exclaiming 
'Maister,  Maister!'  I  turned  round  and  asked  what  was 
wanted.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Partingon  said,  'Please,  sir,  will 
you  baptize  me  ?'  'And  me  V  'And  me  ?'  exclaimed  more  than 
a  dozen  voices."  H*  thereupon  baptized  twenty-five.  On 
his  way  to  Downham,  next  morning,  he  baptized  twenty-five 
or  thirty  more.     Next  night  he  returned  to  Chatburn,  and 


HERALDS  OF  GRACE  249 

found  that  this  and  other  villages  adjoining  were  "affected 
from  one  end  to  the  other"  by  his  preaching.  "Parents 
called  their  children  together,  spoke  to  them  on  the  subjects 
which  he  had  preached  about,  and  warned  them  against 
swearing  and  all  other  evil  practices."  While  passing  through 
Chatburn  on  another  occasion  Brothers  Kimball  and  Field- 
ing had  been  observed  by  the  inhabitants.  "The  news  ran 
from  house  to  house,  and  immediately  the  noise  of  their 
looms  was  hushed  and  the  people  flocked  to  their  doors  to 
welcome  us  and  see  us  pass.  More  than  forty  young  people 
of  the  place  ran  to  meet  us ;  some  took  hold  of  our  mantles 
and  then  of  each  other's  hands  ;  several  having  hold  of  hands 
went  before  us  singing  the  songs  of  Zion,  while  their  parents 
gazed  upon  the  scene  with  delight,  and  poured  out  their 
blessings  upon  our  heads,  and  praised  the  God  of  heaven  for 
sending  us  to  unfold  the  principles  of  truth  and  the  plan  of 
salvation  to  them.  The  children  continued  with  us  to  Down- 
ham,  a  mile  distant."  A  strange  love,  surely,  for  whole  vil- 
lages to  show  for  two  Americans  whose  faces  they  had 
looked  upon  for  the  first  time  only  a  week  before! 

Wherever  these  men  of  God  went,  their  labors  among  the 
people  were  sealed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  various  manifesta- 
tions. The  sick  were  healed  by  the  power  of  the  Lord ;  the 
lame  were  made  to  walk ;  several  consumptives  were  cured 
instantly  by  the  administration  of  baptism ;  devils  were  re- 
buked and  expelled  in  the  name  of  Jesus ;  and  the  gifts  of  the 
gospel  were  enjoyed  in  other  ways.  "Many  scores  of  per- 
sons." declares  Apostle  Kimball,  "were  healed  by  our  send- 
ing a  handkerchief  to  them."  Meetings  were  held  in  the 
"Cockpit,"  "a  large  and  commodious  place,  capable  of  seating 
eight  hundred  persons,  and  situated  in  the  centre  of  Pres- 
ton." It  had  once  been  used  for  cock-fighting,  but  had  re- 
cently been  converted  into  a  temperance  hall.  The  arena  was 
now  occupied  by  the  singers ;  and  the  place  where  the  judges 


250  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

had  viewed  the  contentious  "roosters"  and  awarded  the 
prizes,  was  used  as  a  pulpit.  Here,  at  Christmas  tide,  1837,  a 
special  conference  was  held,  with  three  hundred  Saints  in 
attendance.  The  "word  of  wisdom"  was  at  this  time  first 
made  known  to  the  people,  though  the  example  of  the  elders 
in  this  respect  had  already  promulgated  the  doctrine.  The 
spirit  of  the  Lord  was  poured  out  upon  the  elders  and  Saints 
in  a  remarkable  manner. 

But  all  this  success  had  not  been  won  without  opposition. 
At  Walkerfold,  some  of  the  young  people  who  had  joined 
the  Church  were  driven  from  home  by  their  parents.  Some 
preachers  at  Preston,  most  of  whom,  it  was  afterwards 
found,  were  themselves  unlicensed,  compelled  the  elders  to 
take  out  licenses  to  preach.  The  Rev.  Robert  Aitkin,  a 
famous  reform  minister,  many  of  whose  disciples  had  em- 
braced the  Church,  came  to  Preston  and  delivered  several 
philippics  against  "Mormonism."  These,  however,  the  elders 
met  by  reading  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  First  Corinthians 
to  the  Saints  at  their  Sunday  evening  meeting.  In  re- 
turn for  Aitkin's  desire  and  prayer  that  the  Lord  would 
either  drive  all  the  "Mormons"  from  the  coast  or  smite  their 
leaders,  the  apostles  advised  their  flock  to  pray  that  God 
might  touch  the  heart  of  this  reverend  preacher  that  he 
might  see  the  light.  During  much  of  this  time  all  kinds  of 
slanders  were  circulated  concerning  the  missionaries,  chiefly 
by  the  professed  teachers  of  the  gospel,  who  would  not  face 
the  elders  in  open  discussion.  But  this  opposition  served 
only  to  advertise  the  work,  as  indeed  it  always  has  done  in 
the  history  of  "Mormonism;"  for  men  can  do  nothing 
against,  but  for  the  truth. 

The  missionaries  had  now  been  here  nearly  eight  months, 
and  they  determined  to  leave  for  America  in  a  few  days. 
They  appointed  a  conference  for  the  8th  of  April,  1838, 
and  made  arrangements  to  visit  the  branches  which  they 


HERALDS  OF  GRACE  251 

had  established.  Elders  Richards  and  Russell  now  joined 
them  from  their  fields  of  labor.  We  need  not  follow  the 
brethren  in  their  journey  from  one  village  to  another,  ex- 
cept to  say  that  their  parting  with  the  Saints  was  a  source 
of  grief  to  all  concerned.  The  Saints  at  Chatburn  were  in- 
consolable at  the  melancholy  prospect  of  seeing  Heber's  face 
no  more.  The  great  apostle,  too,  was  borne  down  by  a 
weight  of  sorrow.  ''When  I  left  them,"  he  says,  "my  feel- 
ings were  such  as  I  cannot  describe.  As  I  walked  down  the 
street  I  was  followed  by  numbers ;  the  doors  were  crowded 
by  the  inmates  of  the  houses  to  bid  me  farewell,  who  could 
only  give  vent  to  their  grief  in  sobs  and  broken  accents. 
While  contemplating  this  scene  I  was  constrained  to  take 
off  my  hat,  for  I  felt  as  if  the  place  was  holy  ground.  The 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  rested  down  upon  me  and  I  was  con- 
strained to  bless  the  whole  region  of  country.  I  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  great  number  to  Clithero,  a  considerable  distance 
from  the  villages,  who  could  then  hardly  separate  from  me. 
My  heart  was  like  unto  theirs,  and  I  thought  my  head  was 
a  fountain  of  tears,  for  I  wept  for  several  miles  after  I  bid 
them  adieu.  I  h#d  to  leave  the  road  three  times  to  go  to  the 
streams  of  water  to  bathe  my  eyes."  Subsequently,  the 
Prophet  Joseph  informed  Heber  that  "some  of  the  ancient 
apostles  had  traveled  in  that  region  and  dedicated  the  land, 
and  that  Elder  Kimball  had  reaped  the  benefit  of  their 
blessing."  A  great  many  new  converts  were  made  during 
these  visits;  Heber  speaks  of  having  to  go  into  the  water 
six  or  seven  times  during  the  day  to  perform  the  ordinances 
of  baptism. 

The  conference  was  held  at  Preston  Sunday,  April  8th. 
Between  six  and  seven  hundred  Saints  were  present,  and 
all  the  branches,  it  seems,  were  represented.  Joseph 
Fielding  was  appointed  "to  preside  over  the  English  mis- 
sion, with  Willard  Richards  and  William  Clayton  as  his 


252  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

counselors.  These  three  brethren  were  ordained  high 
priests.  Forty  persons  were  confirmed ;  about  one  hundred 
children  blessed;  and  twenty  souls  baptized.  The  first  meet- 
ing of  this  memorable  conference  continued  without  inter- 
mission from  9  in  the  morning  till  5  in  the  afternoon.  At  7 
o'clock  another  meeting  was  held,  at  which  the  departing 
brethren  made  farewell  addresses.  When  they  spoke  of 
parting,  the  people  wept  like  children.  It  seemed  impossible 
for  these  affectionate  Saints  to  let  the  elders  go. 

On  the  20th  they  embarked  for  home  on  the  same  ves- 
sel that  had  borne  them  so  safely  to  England.  Upon  reach- 
ing New  York  they  found  that  the  two  Pratt  brothers  had 
been  instrumental  in  converting  many  persons  there  and  es- 
tablishing them  into  branches.  On  May  22d  the  mission- 
aries reached  home,  which  they  had  left  a  little  over  eleven 
months  before. 

This  had  been  a  wonderful  mission.  In  all  two  thou- 
sand souls  had  been  brought  into  the  Church,  four  hundred 
of  whom  lived  at  Preston.  About  fifteen  hundred  of  this 
number  had  been  converted  through  the  labors  of  Heber  C. 
Kimball  alone.  Thus  was  an  effectual  door  opened  for  the 
gospel  in  England.  Since  then  tens  of  thousands  of  Brit- 
ain's best  people — the  great  middle  class  of  that  country — 
have  embraced  the  truth  and  immigrated  to  Zion,  where 
they  have  been  a  firm  and  substantial  bulwark  to  "Mormon- 
ism"  and  to  the  Great  West — the  "something  new"  of  which 
the  Prophet  spoke. 


CHAPTER  X 

Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon 

No  sooner  had  the  Saints  entered  upon  the  full  possession 
of  their  new  home  in  upper  Missouri  than  the  heavens  be- 
came suddenly  black  with  clouds,  and  there  broke  upon  their 
heads  a  storm  such  as  paled  into  insignificance  all  former 
ones  in  their  ill-starred  career. 

Election-day  at  Gallatin. 

The  first  indications  of  trouble  appeared  at  Gallatin,  a  small 
settlement  in  the  vicinity  of  Diahman,  in  Daviess  county.  It 
was  election-day  there — August  6th,  1838, — and  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Peniston,  a  rabid  anti-"Mormon,"  was  run- 
ning for  office.  Knowing  that  he  could  not  count  on  the 
"Mormon"  vote  in  the  district,  he  set  his  heart  on  prevent- 
ing the  Saints  from  casting  their  ballots.  Of  this  design  on 
their  rights  as  American  citizens,  however,  the  brethren 
had  been  informed  some  two  weeks  since  by  Judge  Morin, 
who  also  advised  them  to  go  to  the  polls  prepared  to  defend 
themselves.  But  "hoping  for  better  things,"  they  went  there 
unarmed. 

The  Judge's  friendly  warning  proved  to  be  based  upon 
sufficient  ground.  For,  about  11  o'clock,  Peniston,  mounted 
on  a  barrel,  harangued  the  crowd  gathered  at  the  polls, 
calling  the  "Mormons"  dupes,  counterfeiters,  liars,  thieves, 
and  other  unsavory  names,  and  adding  that  their  presence  in 
the  county  menaced  the  peace,  prosperity,  and  property  of 
the  older  settlers.  This,  of  course,  precipitated  a  fight  be- 
tween the  two  elements,  which  was  begun  by  Peniston's 
men,  but  in  which  the  brethren,  thus  provoked,  strenuously 
maintained  their  ground.     The  mob,  though  outnumbering 


254  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

the  "Mormons,"  retreated  in  disgrace,  but  in  an  hour  or  so 
came  back  greatly  increased  in  number,  and  armed  with 
clubs,  knives,  and  guns,  ready  to  put  a  speedy  end  to  their 
victorious  foe.  But  no  "Mormons"  were  to  be  found.  Hast- 
ily casting  their  votes,  the  brethren  had  gone  home  to  pro- 
tect their  families  from  an  attack  which  they  momentarily 
expected  would  be  made.  The  whole  of  that  night  they 
spent  out  in  the  woods  amid  a  drizzling  rain. 

News  of  this  affray  reached  Far  West  next  day,  but  in 
a  greatly  magnified  form.  Two  or  three  of  the  brethren,  it 
was  reported,  had  been  killed,  their  bodies  still  lying  on  the 
ground  weltering  in  the  hot  sun,  and  the  Gentiles  were  ris- 
ing in  great  numbers  to  expel  the  "Mormons"  from  the 
county.  Several  brethren  at  the  Caldwell  town,  including 
Joseph,  armed  themselves  and  hastened  to  the  rescue,  re- 
ceiving additions  to  their  number  as  they  went.  Arrived  upon 
the  scene  and  learning  the  facts  in  the  case,  they  rested  at 
Diahman.  Next  day,  being  in  the  vicinity  of  Adam  Black's 
they  called  upon  that  person  to  ascertain  his  atttiude,  as  a 
public  officer,  respecting  the  recent  election  troubles.  They 
obtained  the  following  literary  curiosity,  which,  however, 
as  a  statement  of  his  real  feelings,  proved  woefully  mislead- 
ing: 

"I,  Adam  Black,  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  of  Daviess  county, 
do  hereby  Sertify  to  the  people,  coled  Mormin,  that  he  is 
bound  to  suport  the  Constitution  of  this  State,  and  of  the 
United  State,  and  he  is  not  attached  to  any  mob,  nor  will  he 
attach  himself  to  any  such  people,  and  so  long  as  they  will 
not  molest  me,  I  will  not  molest  them." 

On  the  day  following  this  (Aug.  9th),  a  meeting  be- 
tween the  Prophet,  his  brother  Hyrum,  Lyman  Wight,  and 
a  few  others,  acting  for  the  "Mormon"  population  of  Da- 
viess county,  and  Joseph  Morin,  State  senator-elect,  John 
Williams,  State  representative-elect,  James  B.  Turner,  clerk 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  255 

of  the  circuit  court,  and  several  others,  acting  for  the  old 
citizens,  was  held  at  Diahman.  Each  party  agreed  to  pre- 
serve the  peace,  and  to  deliver  up  to  the  law  all  offenders 
within  their  ranks.  This  done,  the  company  from  Far  West 
returned  home,  felicitating  one  another  upon  the  successful 
isue  of  what  had  threatened  to  become  a  very  troublesome 
affair. 

But  the  fire  had  not  been  really  put  out ;  it  smouldered 
still,  and  a  few  breaths  soon  revived  it  into  a  flame  and  then 
into  a  conflagration  that  nothing  seemed  likely  to  extinguish. 
Peniston  made  an  affidavit  before  Judge  King  to  the  effect 
that  his  life  was  endangered  by  a  company  of  "Mormons," 
then  in  the  county,  of  a  "highly  insurrectionary  character," 
that  Adam  Black  had  been  compelled  by  them  "to  submit  to 
great  indignity"  by  being  forced,  "on  pain  of  immediate 
death,  to  sign  a  paper  writing  of  a  very  disgraceful  charac- 
ter," and  that  these  "Mormons"  threatened  "to  do  the  same 
to  all  the  old  settlers."  This  was  reinforced,  on  the  28th 
of  the  month,  by  an  affidavit  made  before  Justice  Dryden  by 
Black  himself,  swearing  to  similar  falsehoods,  adding  that 
the  "Mormons"  had  expressed  their  determination  "not  to 
submit  to  the  laws."  About  the  same  time  that  these  un- 
truths were  given  general  circulation,  a  rumor  spread  to  the 
effect  that  the  Prophet  had  refused  to  be  arrested  by  the 
proper  officer  on  a  regular  warrant.  The  facts  were  that 
Joseph  had  merely  objected  to  being  put  on  trial  in  Daviess 
county  where  the  judges  and  the  jury  might  be  browbeaten 
by  his  enemies  into  convicting  him ;  he  wished  rather  to  be 
tried  in  his  own  county;  and  the  sheriff  had  acquiesced  in 
the  matter.  Later,  however,  on  the  advice  of  General  Atch- 
ison, the  Prophet  and  Lyman  Wight  were  tried  in  Daviess 
county,  but  their  chief  accuser — Peniston — failed  to  put  in  an 
appearance,  and  they  were  accordingly  bound  over  to  appear 
at  the  next  session  of  the  district  court.    Meanwhile,  on  the 


256  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF   MORMONISM 

strength  of  these  affidavits  and  false  rumors,  the  aid  of  a 
number  of  other  counties  was  secured  to  drive  the  "Mor- 
mons." Ostensibly  this  ill-will  of  the  mob  element  confined 
itself  to  the  "Mormon"  population  of  Daviess  county;  but 
in  reality,  as  there  is  abundant  evidence  to  show,  it  embraced 
all  the  "Mormons"  in  upper  Missouri.  The  most  alarming 
stories  of  atrocities  alleged  to  have  been  committed  by  the 
Saints  flooded  the  country,  till  one  would  have  imagined — 
and,  doubtless  many  did  imagine — that  these  harmless  people 
were  more  akin  to  the  savages  just  across  the  borders  than 
to  civilized  beings. 

All  this,  with  a  complaint  of  Justice  Dryden's  that  the 
"Mormons"  would  not  submit  to  the  law,  found  its  way  into 
documents,  which  were  despatched  to  Governor  Boggs.  The 
result  was  the  formation  of  a  mob  of  more  than  two  hun- 
dred, which  threatened  the  peace  of  Diahman,  but  which 
was  held  at  bay  by  an  armed  company  of  the  brethren  at 
that  place  under  the  command  of  Lyman  Wight;  and  the 
issuance  of  orders  by  the  Governor  to  General  Atchison  to 
raise  "four  hundred  mounted  men,  armed  and  equipped  as 
infantry  or  riflemen,"  and  hold  them  in  readiness  either  to 
put  down  any  Indian  disturbances  on  the  frontier  or  those 
that  might  arise  from  the  "Mormons"  in  Daviess,  Caldwell, 
or  Carroll  counties.  In  the  meantime,  two  men  while  on 
their  way  from  Richmond  with  guns  and  ammunition  for 
the  mob,  were  taken  prisoners  by  a  small  company  of  the 
brethren  near  Far  West,  but  were  shortly  aftewards  turned 
over  to  General  Donipham,  as  also  were  the  arms. 

Early  in  September  General  Donipham  with  four  com-- 
panies  of  fifty  each  marched  to  Daviess  county  and  took  up 
his  position  between  the  mob  under  Dr.  Austin,  of  Carroll 
county,  and  the  "Mormon"  forces  under  Col.  Wight,  at 
Diahman.  To  both  he  read  Atchison's  orders  to  disperse. 
Lyman  Wight  objected  to  disband  as  long  as  the  mob  re- 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  257 

rained  their  arms.  Dr.  Austin,  while  professing  that  his 
men,  collected  from  various  counties,  were  there  wholly 
for  self-defense,  nevertheless  "continued  marching  and 
counter  marching."  Later,  when  Atchison  appeared  with 
his  companies,  and  ordered  the  mob  to  disperse,  they  made 
a  pretense  of  doing  so,  but  only  about  half  of  their  num- 
ber really  obeyed.  The  "Mormons,"  according  to  Atchison's 
report  to  Governor  Boggs,  "appeared  to  be  acting  on  the 
defensive,"  and  Wight,  whom  he  describes,  as  "a  bold 
brave,  skillful,  and  desperate  man,"  gave  up  the  offenders 
"with  a  good  deal  of  promptness."  All  the  troops,  except 
two  companies,  were  dismissed,  and  these,  under  General 
Parks,  were  to  remain  there  only  till  "peace  and  confidence" 
were  restored.  General  Parks,  in  his  communication  to  the 
Governor,  dated  Sept.  25th,  declares  that  the  "Mormons" 
had  not  to  him  manifested  any  disposition  to  resist  the  laws, 
or  any  hostile  intentions.  "There  has  been  so  much  preju- 
dice and  exaggeration  concerned  in  this  matter,"  he  con- 
tinues, "that  I  found  things  entirely  different  from  what  I 
was  prepared  to  expect."  Previously  to  his  arrival  there,  a 
committee  consisting  of  "Mormons"  and  non-"Mormons" 
had  been  appointed  for  the  purpose  of  negotiating  terms  for 
buying  or  selling  out  on  the  part  of  one  or  the  other.  But 
Parks  stated  in  this  report  that,  according  to  information 
he  had  received,  it  was  "the  determination  of  the  Daviess 
county  men,"  in  case  the  committee  could  not  agree,  "to 
drive  the  Mormons  with  powder  and  lead."  Nevertheless, 
peace  seemed  to  be  restored  in  this  part  of  Missouri. 

Beleaguered  De  Witt. 

That  portion  of  Austin's  band  of  mobocrats  which  refused  to 
disperse  at  the  orders  of  General  Atchison,  proceeded  to  De 
Witt,  a  little  "Mormon"  settlement  about  fifty  miles  south- 
east of  Far  West,  in  Carroll  county.     It  comprised,  at  the 


258  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

time,  not  above  seventy  families,  most  of  whom,  having  only 
recently  come  there  from  Ohio  and  other  eastern  points, 
were  still  for  the  greater  part  occupying  their  tents  and  wa- 
gons, though  they  were  hastening  their  preparations  of  bet- 
ter quarters  for  the  on-coming  winter.  As  early  as  the  12th 
of  September  a  band  of  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men  had  threatened  to  drive  and  kill  the  Saints 
there  unless  they  were  gone  by  the  first  of  the  month.  The 
latter,  however,  undaunted  by  these  illegal  demands,  ap- 
pealed to  the  Governor,  who  for  some  reason  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  their  petition.  When,  therefore,  the  "Mormons" 
were  still  found  at  De  Witt  on  the  2d  of  October,  about  fifty 
men  rode  up  to  their  camps  and.  began  firing.  On  learning 
of  these  violent  proceedings  through  an  affidavit  by  Mr. 
Root,  a  non-"Mormon"  of  that  place,  General  Parks,  with  his 
two  companies,  marched  from  Diaham  to  disperse  the 
mob.  But  his  men  mutinied,  and  he  returned  to  Grand 
River. 

By  this  time,  Austin  had  united  his  forces  with  those  al- 
ready there,  making  a  mob-collection  of  nearly  three  hun- 
dred. Failing  to  dislodge  the  "Mormons,"  they  determined 
on  a  siege.  They  completely  surrounded  the  place,  shut  off 
every  avenue  of  escape,  and  guarded  every  road  and  path 
leading  from  the  settlement.  Having  but  a  small  supply  of 
provisions  on  hand,  the  beleaguered  Saints  felt  almost  imme- 
diately the  results  of  this  barbarity.  At  first  they  were  re- 
duced to  rations ;  but  soon  there  was  nothing  to  divide.  With 
what  grateful  emotions  did  these  hungry  people  look  upon  a 
cow  or  an  ox  that  strayed,  miraculously  as  it  seemed,  into 
the  camp ;  and  with  what  speed  was  it  despatched,  without 
any  questions  as  to  its  owner !  Once,  in  their  extremity  for 
flour,  they  gave  a  stranger  money  with  which  to  buy  a 
quantity,  but  neither  he  nor  the  money  was  seen  again.  On 
another  occasion  a  brother  generously  offered  to  kill  and 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  259 

dress  a  favorite  team  of  oxen  which  he  had  recently  pur- 
chased. When,  however,  he  made  his  appearance  beyond 
the  skirts  of  the  settlement  to  get  the  animals,  he  was  shot  at 
by  the  mob ;  and  he  returned,  having  narrowly  escaped  with 
his  life.  Many  of  the  Saints,  not  having  adequate  shelter, 
suffered  a  good  deal  from  sickness. 

While  they  were  in  this  sad  plight,  the  Prophet  Joseph, 
with  a  few  companions  from  Far  West,  suddenly  made  his 
appearance.  He  had  come  to  give  what  advice  and  sympathy 
he  could,  having  traversed  unfrequented  paths  through  the 
woods  under  cover  of  darkness.  The  situation  was  now  too 
far  advanced,  however,  to  permit  of  any  compromise.  Noth- 
ing but  a  total  abandonment  of  their  homes  would  satisfy  the 
mob.  About  this  time  intelligence  came  to  the  Saints  from 
two  different  quarters,  which  thoroughly  disheartened  them, 
One  was  news  that  General  Park's  troops  had  threatened  to 
join  the  mob.  The  other  was  an  answer  to  a  communica- 
tion, with  affidavits,  which  a  number  of  friendly  non-"Mor- 
mons"  had  sent  the  Governor.  "The  quarrel,"  said  that  un- 
feeling magistrate,  "is  between  the  Mormons  and  the  mob, 
and  they  must  fight  it  out !" 

Despairing  of  peace,  escape,  or  succor,  the  Saints  con- 
sented to  leave.  Their  property  was  to  be  appraised,  so  that 
they  should  lose  nothing.  Besides,  the  mob  graciously  con- 
descended not  to  molest  them  while  they  were  going!  So 
they  loaded  their  wagons  with  the  sick  or  the  otherwise  help- 
less, together  with  what  goods  they  were  able  to  carry  with 
them,  and  began  their  weary  march  towards  Far  West.  All 
their  real  estate  had,  indeed,  been  appraised,  but  nothing 
had  been  said  about  the  personal  property  which  they  had 
lost,  nor  the  cattle  which  their  enemies  had  wantonly  shot 
down.  Members  of  the  mob,  violating  as  usual  the  terms 
which  they  themselves  had  dictated,  fired  random  shots  at 
the  retreating  figures,  and  sent  up  in  flames  the  combustible 


260  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

property  that  had  been  left  behind.  On  the  way  several 
brethren  died,  and  one  woman,  still  unrecovered  from  child- 
birth, passed  away.  All  were  buried  without  ceremony  in 
unmarked  graves  by  the  river  side.  The  company,  worn  and 
emaciated,  reached  Far  West  toward  the  middle  of  the 
month. 

The  First  Martyr-Apostle. 

One  midnight,  a  few  days  after  the  arrival  of  the  De  Witt 
Saints  in  Caldwell  county,  the  inhabitants  of  Far  West  were 
aroused  by  a  loud  trumpet  blast.  In  a  few  minutes  the  pub- 
lic square  was  thronged  with  men  who  were  eagerly  in- 
quiring for  the  cause  of  so  unexpected  a  note.  Joseph  Hol- 
brook  had  just  arrived  from  the  region  of  Log  Creek,  about 
fifteen  miles  south  of  town,  with  the  startling  intelligence 
that  Captain  Bogart,  a  mobocrate  and  one  of  the  bitterest 
enemies  of  the  Saints,  with  a  company  of  forty  armed  men, 
was;  intimidating  the  brethren  there,  stealing  horses  and 
provisions,  and  ordering  the  inhabitants  to  leave  on  pain  of 
death.  No  sooner  was  this  generally  known,  than  seventy- 
five  men  volunteered  their  services  to  go  against  the  mob, 
and  were  put  in  charge  of  Captain  David  W.  Patten.  Since 
this  company  was  ordered  out  by  Elias  Higbee,  the  first 
judge  in  the  county,  who  had  legal  authority  to  do  so,  and 
since  Patten  held  a  commission  in  the  State  militia,  it  is  per- 
fectly clear  that  this  body  was  in  every  respect  within  the  law. 
Parley  P.  Pratt,  who  was  a  member  of  the  expedition, 
has  most  graphically  reproduced  for  us  the  scene  of  this  fa- 
mous company  marching  from  Far  West  to  none  knew  ex- 
actly where.  The  night  was  dark.  In  front  of  them  great 
red  flames  shot  up  from  the  burning  prairie  like  "a  thou- 
sand meteors,  throwing  a  fitful  gleam  of  light  upon  the 
distant  sky."  Serious  reflections  were  produced  in  the  minds 
of  the  most  careless  by  "the  silence  of  the  midnight,  the  rum- 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  261 

bling  sounds  of  the  trampling  steeds  over  the  hard  surface 
of  the  plain,  the  clank  of  the  swords  in  their  scabbards,  the 
occasional  gleam  of  bright  armor  in  the  flickering  firelight, 
the  gloom  of  surrounding  darkness,  and  the  unknown  des- 
tiny of  the  expedition,  or  even  the  people  who  sent  it  forth." 

As  the  first  streaks  of  dawn  colored  the  east,  they  came 
to  a  bend  in  Crooked  river,  which,  at  this  point,  is  deeply 
embedded  in  a  gulch,  and  which  was  then  thickly  fringed 
with  trees  and  underbrush.  They  paused  for  a  moment  on 
the  hill,  their  forms  dimly  outlined  against  the  morning  sky. 
Then  they  began  to  descend.  Suddenly  a  voice  broke  the 
stillness — 

"Who  comes  there?"  and  almost  at  the  same  instant  a 
report  of  a  gun  sounded.  A  young  "Mormon"  named 
O'Banion  fell,  mortally  wounded. 

There  was  no  doubt  now  that  they  were  upon  the  enemy. 
They  therefore  rushed  down  the  embankment,  shouting 
their  watchword — "God  and  Liberty!"  A  short  scrim- 
mage followed.  But  Bogart  and  his  men,  after  firing  a  few 
shots,  made  a  precipitate  retreat  across  the  river.  One  of 
them,  closely  pursued  by  Captain  Patten,  suddenly  wheeled 
round  and  shot  him  in  the  bowels.  Gideon  Carter  also  was 
shot,  dying  almost  immediately;  and  eleven  others  were 
wounded,  but  not  mortally. 

Making  use  of  some  of  the  animals  and  wagons  left  by 
the  fleeing  mob  and  improvising  litters  to  carry  their  dead 
and  wounded,  the  company  returned  home  a  mournful  pro- 
cession. Five  miles  out  from  Far  West  they  were  met  by 
friends  and  relatives,  who  had  heard  the  result  of  the  en- 
gagement. Patten's  wounds  distressed  him  so  much  that  he 
begged  to  be  taken  into  a  house  to  die.  Shortly  afterwards 
he  passed  away  one  of  the  first  victims  of  this  wretched  per- 
secution, whispering  consolation  to  his  broken-hearted  wife. 
"Oh,  do  not  denv  the  faith,  whatever  else  you  do,"  were  his 


262  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF   MORMON  ISM 

last  words  to  her.  Young  O'Banion  died  about  the  same 
time.  Both  were  buried  with  military  honors,  mourned  sin- 
cerely by  a  whole  community.  "Brother  David  Patten  was 
a  very  worthy  man,"  said  the  Prophet,  "beloved  by  all  good 
men  who  knew  him."  And  at  the  funeral  he  remarked, 
pointing  to  the  remains  of  the  deceased  apostle,  "There  lies 
a  man  that  has  done  just  as  he  said  he  would — he  has  laid 
down  his  life  for  his  friends !" 

On  the  Grand. 

Exaggerated  reports  of  this  brief  conflict  spread  over  the 
country  like  a  great  prairie  fire.  A  Reverend  Sashiel  Woods, 
for  instance,  sent  word  to  Governor  Boggs  that  all  of  Bo- 
gart's  company,  "amounting  to  between  fifty  and  sixty  men, 
were  massacred  by  the  Mormons  at  Buncombe,  twelve  miles 
north  of  Richmond,  except  three."  And  the  pious  man  went 
on  to  say,  "This  statement  you  may  rely  on  as  being  true." 
Judge  Ryland,  also,  wrote  a  letter  to  Messrs.  Rees  and  Wil- 
liams, then  on  their  way  to  Jefferson  city  to  lay  before  the 
Governor  the  state  of  affairs  in  Upper  Missouri,  in  which  he 
asserted  that  a  "Mormon"  force  had  cut  off  Bogart's  "whole 
company  of  fifty  men."  Both  communications  alleged  that 
the  Saints  had  threatened  to  sack  and  burn  Richmond,  the 
latter  describing,  with  great  agitation  of  the  pen,  the  horri- 
fied feelings  of  the  old  settlers.  "We  know  not  the  hour  or 
minute  we  will  be  laid  in  ashes,"  read  one  hysterical  sentence 
in  the  Presbyterian  preacher's  letter, — "our  country  is  ruined 
— for  God's  sake  give  us  assistance  as  quick  as  possible  I" 
And  the  legal  thoughts  of  the  Judge  ran  in  the  direction  of 
driving  the  obnoxious  "Mormons"  indiscriminately  from  the 
State.  "The  Mormons,"  he  said,  "must  leave,  or  we  will 
jone  and  all." 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  great  excitement  prevailed 
throughout  all  the  counties  adjacent  to  Caldwell,  and  that  in 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  263 

fact  many  people  believed  that  there  existed  abundant  cause 
for  alarm.  But  that  there  was  any  real  danger  except,  in- 
deed, to  the  Saints,  no  competent  historian  with  the  facts  be- 
fore him  can  justly  maintain  today.  There  was  an  unfortu- 
nate combination  of  circumstances  that  threw  a  false  light 
over  the  motives  and  conduct  of  the  Saints,  which  appeared 
to  justify  the  worst  apprehensions  of  the  non-"Mormon" 
population. 

One  of  these  lay  in  the  rancorous  feelings  of  apostates. 
Marsh,  as  we  have  seen,  testified  before  a  justice  of  the 
peace  that  the  Prophet  Joseph  entertained  bloody  intentions 
respecting  the  United  States  government,  that  the  "Mor- 
mons" had  secret  societies  for  the  purpose  of  plundering  and 
murdering  the  Gentiles,  and  that  the  Saints  would  burn 
Buncombe  and  Richmond  and  Liberty,  if  they  were  not  let 
alone.  It  is  probably  unnecessary  to  state  that  the  "Mor- 
mons" never  even  thought  of  such  a  thing ;  they  were  them- 
selves very  much  alarmed.  This  affidavit  was  corroborated 
by  Orson  Hyde,  another  of  the  apostles.  William  E.  M'Lel- 
lin,  whose  sentiments  against  his  former  friends  were  of  the 
most  murderous  character,  joined  the  enemy,  aiding  and 
abetting  them  in  every  movement. 

Another  element  of  the  combination  against  the  Saints 
was  the  rumor  respecting  the  alleged  "Danite  Band."  Ac- 
cording to  Sidney  Rigdon,  there  existed  an  organization 
among  some  of  those  claiming  membership  in  the  Church, 
the  purpose  of  which  was  "mutual  protection  against  the 
bands  that  were  forming  and  threatened  to  be  formed  for  the 
professed  object  of  committing  violence  on  the  property  and 
persons  of  the  citizens  of  Daviess  and  Caldwell  counties." 
They  had  their  signs  and  passwords,  which  were  secret,  and 
were  bound  by  their  own  rules  not  to  injure  anyone  not  ac- 
tually engaged  "in  acts  of  violence  against  the  persons  or 
property  of  their  own  number,  or  one  of  those  whose  life  and 


264  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

property  they  had  bound  themselves  to  defend."  The 
Prophet  also  refers  to  such  an  organization,  though  both  he 
and  Rigdon  positively  disclaim  any  connection  with  the  So- 
ciety. From  Joseph's  language,  one  would  infer  that  in  the 
hands  of  the  unscrupulous  Dr.  Avard,  its  probable  founder> 
it  promised  to  become  a  desperate  and  dangerous  organiza- 
tion. But  presently  Avard's  conduct  in  the  matter  came  to 
light ;  neither  the  men  whom  he  endeavored  to  control  nor  the 
Prophet  and  President  Rigdon  would  do  his  bidding ;  he  was 
then  cut  off  the  Church,  after  which  he  sought  to  attribute 
to  the  ''Mormon"  leaders  the  horrible  oaths  of  vengeance 
that  originated  in  his  own  vile  heart.  There  is  not  an  iota 
of  evidence  to  show  that  this  organization  originated  with 
the  Church,  that  it  received  any  encouragement  from  any  of 
the  Church  authorities,  or  that  the  society  which  was  formed 
at  this  time  in  Caldwell  county  committed,  or  intended  to 
commit,  the  crimes  with  which  it  is  charged.  On  the  con- 
trary, if  one  hundredth  part  of  the  atrocities  alleged  to  have 
been  committed  by  that  short-lived  and  really  defensible  or- 
ganization in  Missouri,  are  true,  the  institution,  according  to 
every  principle  avowed,  then  and  now,  by  "Mormonism," 
would  plunge  its  members  and  all  who  encouraged  it  into 
eternal  perdition.  But  the  false  and  utterly  groundless 
charges  lodged  against  the  Church  on  this  score  accom- 
plished as  much  injury  as  if  they  were  true. 

A  third  source  of  irreparable  mischief  arose  from  the 
low  cunning  of  some  of  the  mob,  who  laid  at  the  doors  of 
the  ''Mormons"  their  own  acts  of  depredation.  Finding 
themselves  thwarted  on  every  hand,  by  regular  troops,  in 
their  attempts  to  expel  the  Saints  form  Daviess  county,  the 
mob  there,  in  imitation  of  a  reprobate  family  at  the  Heatherly 
settlement,  in  Mercer  county,  some  two  years  before,  ac- 
tually set  fire  to  their  own  log  huts,  and  then  sent  up  the  cry 
that  the  Mormons  had  done  it.     In  like  manner  thev  would 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  265 

commit  outrages  on  the  "Mormons"  whom  they  managed  to 
capture,  in  order  to  provoke  an  attack  from  the  Saints,  that 
they  might  have  a  pretext  on  which  to  act.  Besides,  when- 
ever a  company  of  "Mormons,"  called  out  by  the  proper  au- 
thorities, went  against  a  mob,  the  result  was  magnified  be- 
yond all  recognition,  as  was  the  case  in  the  Crooked  river 
affair.  These  slanders  were  eagerly  taken  up  by  jealous 
preachers  and  scheming  politicians  and  sent  over  the  coun- 
try in  order  to  inflame  the  popular  sentiment  against  the 
Saints.  The  real  facts  never  reached  the  general  ear,  or,  if 
they  did,  were  never  credited,  as  being  inconsistent  with 
what  the  people  had  already  heard  concerning  the  "Mor- 
mons" themselves. 

The  result  of  all  this  was  that  mobs  arose  in  several 
different  parts  of  the  country  and  marched  into  Daviess 
county.  The  mob  that  expelled  the  Saints  from  De  Witt  left 
that  place  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  securing  the  land 
which  the  "Mormons"  occupied.  A  mob,  under  a  man 
named  Gillium  was  already  there  with  the  same  motive. 
General  Doniphan  sent  word  to  Far  West  that  a  body  of 
eight  hundred  men  was  moving  against  the  Saints  in  Daviess 
county,  and  gave  orders  for  the  Caldwell  militia  to  march 
immediately  to  the  scene  of  the  difficulties.  General  Parks, 
on  his  return  from  De  Witt,  ordered  Colonel  Wight  with  a 
company  to  go  against  a  mob  that  was  committing  depreda- 
tions at  Millport,  with  full  authority  to  put  a  stop  to  mob 
violence  wherever  he  found  any.  This  mob  had  burned  a 
house  belonging  to  Don  Carlos  Smith,  who  was  away  on  a 
mission  at  the  time,  after  having  driven  his  wife  and  two 
small  children  out  into  the  snow.  Before  the  intrepid  Wight, 
the  mobs  fled  in  consternation,  burning  their  own  huts  on 
the  way,  and  sending  runners  throughout  the  country  with 
the  false  statement  that  "the  Mormons  had  riz." 

Governor  Boggs,  acting  upon  the  numerous  letters  that 


266  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

reached  him  about  this  time,  issued  an  order  to  General 
Clark  on  the  26th  of  October,  authorizing  him  to  raise  two 
thousand  men,  with  fifteen  days'  provisions,  for  the  purpose 
of  crushing  "the  armed  force  of  Mormons,"  which  had  "ex- 
pelled the  inhabitants"  of  Daviess  county  from  their  homes, 
"pillaged  and  burnt  their  dwellings,  driven  off  the  stock,  and 
destroyed  their  crops,"  and  "burnt  to  ashes  the  towns  of 
Gallatin  and  Millport,"  destroying  all  the  records  of  the 
county !  Next  day  he  received,  from  Messrs,  Rees  and  Wil- 
liams, "information  of  the  most  appalling  character"  con- 
cerning the  "open  and  defiant  attitude"  of  the  "Mormons" 
which  changed  the  whole  face  of  things."  And  the  hasty 
autocrat  thereupon  issued  his  infamous  "exterminating  or- 
der." "The  Mormons,"  he  declared,  "must  be  treated  as 
enemies  and  must  be  exterminated  or  driven  from  the  state, 
if  necessary  for  the  public  good.  Their  outrages  are  beyond 
all  description.  If  you  can  increase  your  force,  you  are  au- 
thorized to  do  so,  to  any  extent  you  may  think  necessary." 

A  Bloody  Day. 

On  the  30th  of  October  of  this  year  there  occurred  at  Haun's 
Mill— a  "Mormon"  settlement  of  about  thirty  families  on 
Shoal  Creek  about  sixteen  miles  east  of  Far  West  in  Cald- 
well county — such  a  savage  and  dastardly  massacre  as  makes 
a  civilized  imagination  recoil  with  horror. 

It  was  a  pleasant  day.  The  children  sported  on  the 
banks  of  the  creek,  the  women  were  busy  with  their  house- 
hold duties,  the  men  were  guarding  the  common  property  or 
gathering  in  the  winter's  food.  They  felt  reasonably  safe 
now  from  violence,  for  only  the  night  before  the  enemy  had 
made  an  agreement  not  to  molest  them  as  long  as  they  re- 
mained quiet.  The  Prophet  Joseph  had,  however,  advised 
them  to  come  to  Far  West,  but  having  some  property  there, 
they  were  anxious  not  to  lose  it ;  and  he  acquiesced. 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  267 

Suddenly,  about  4  o'clock,  from  the  woods  a  little  north 
of  the  town  there  burst  out  a  band  of  more  than  two  hundred 
armed  men.  David  Evans  ran  out  towards  them  waving 
his  hat  and  crying  peace.  The  leader  fired  a  shot,  which 
was  the  only  answer,  followed  by  a  pause  of  about  twelve 
seconds.  Meantime,  confusion  reigned  among  the  "Mor- 
mons." Some  ran  into  an  unchinked  log  house  used  as  a 
blacksmith  shop,  others  fled  to  the  tents  behind  it,  and  still 
others  escaped  to  the  bushes  on  the  creek  below  the  house. 
Presently,  the  firing  began.  In  all  several  hundred  shots 
were  discharged,  some  at  the  retreating  figures  of  the  fleeing 
men,  women,  and  children,  but  most  through  the  door  and 
between  the  logs  of  the  old  shop.  One  woman  was  shot 
at,  but  was  saved  by  falling  over  the  trunk  of  a  tree.  A  man 
dropped  dead  as  he  was  clambering  up  the  bank  of  the 
stream.  Fifteen  persons  were  wounded,  some  receiving  five 
others  twenty-three  bullets.  The  arm  of  this  one  was  shot 
off,  the  thigh  or  leg  of  that,  and  another  was  most  brutally 
mangled.  An  aged  veteran  of  the  Revolution  had  remained 
in  front  of  Haun's  house,  thinking  that  his  past  services  in 
defense  of  his  native  land  would  shield  him  from  violence ; 
but  his  foes  knew  not  the  tongue  of  bravery  and  manly  for- 
bearance, and  so  they  snatched  the  gun  from  his  hand  and 
shot  him  down  with  it,  afterwards  cutting  and  hacking  the 
old  soldier's  body  with  a  corn-cutter. 

But  the  scene  in  the  blacksmith  shop  was  the  most  horri- 
fying. Every  avenue  by  which  harm  could  be  inflicted  was 
diligently  sought  out.  Two  men,  finding  their  comrades 
slain,  drew  their  dead  bodies  over  them,  and  by  the  sicken- 
ing strategem  of  feigning  death,  escaped  a  similar  fate.  A 
boy  of  eight,  after  seeing  his  father  and  brother  killed,  im- 
itated the  example  of  the  two  men,  escaped  with  his  life,  but 
was  seriously  wounded  in  the  hip.  His  brother's  death  had 
come  about  in  a  singularly  heartless  manner.    "One  of  the 


268  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

mob  had  dragged  him — a  boy  of  ten  years — from  beneath 
the  bellows,  whither  he  had  crawled  for  safety,  and  deliber- 
ately blew  off  the  upper  part  of  his  head,  with  a  rifle,  after- 
wards explaining  this  harrowing  deed  on  the  grounds  that 
the  boy  would  have  grown  up  a  "Mormon!"  "It  was  no 
worse  to  shoot  a  "Mormon,"  says  Bancroft,  speaking  of  the 
feelings  of  the  average  Missourian  of  that  time  and  locality, 
"than  it  was  to  shoot  an  Indian,  and  killing  Indians  was  no 
worse  than  killing  wild  beasts."  Having  disposed  in  this 
manner  of  all  the  live  people  they  could  see,  the  mob  with- 
drew, appropriating  to  their  own  use  everything  valuable 
they  could  find — horses,  bedding,  the  contents  of  a  trunk, 
and  even  a  pair  of  new  boots  worn  by  one  of  the  dead  men ! 
What  a  scene  was  there  that  night !  When  quiet  and  the 
darkness  came  on,  those  who  had  escaped  returned  timidly 
and  warily.  They  searched  for  their  relatives  among  the 
slain  and  wounded,  amid  general  grief  and  wailing.  Next 
morning  the  bodies  were  hurriedly  thrown  into  an  old  well 
and  covered  with  straw  and  earth,  for  the  survivors  of  this 
day  were  in  constant  apprehension  lest  the  mob  should  return 
to  finish  their  horrible  butchery.  In  this  lamentable  affair 
nineteen  persons  were  put  to  death. 

The  Treachery  of  a  "Mormon"  Colonel. 
We  have  now  reached  the  final  stage  of  the  "war."  Far 
West,  by  the  last  of  October,  was  crowded  with  Saints  who 
had  fled  thither  for  protection  from  mob  violence  in  outlying 
districts.  Every  house  had  two  or  three  families,  and  there 
were  many  who  were  compelled  to  live  in  tents  and  wagons. 
Bedding,  food,  fuel,  were  divided  with  a  generosity  dictated 
by  common  danger  and  suffering;  for  the  people,  in  their 
precipitate  flight  from  the  settlements,  had  left  their  property 
to  satisfy  the  rapacity  of  those  who  had  expelled  them  thence. 
So  while  tliey  were  making  the  best  shift  they   could  at 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  269 

Far  West  for  food  and  shelter,  their  fields  of  unharvested 
grain  and  corn  were  trampled  down  and  their  horses  and 
cattle  either  driven  off  or  shot. 

On  the  evening  of  the  30th,  just  as  the  sun  was  disappear- 
ing, the  citizens  of  this  town  might  have  been  seen  strain- 
ing their  eyes  to  distinguish  an  approaching  body  of  men.  At 
first  they  conceived  it  to  be  their  own  company  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  sent  out  that  morning  to  reconnoitre  the  sur- 
rounding country.  But  it  was  too  large  for  that;  besides, 
there  was  apparently  a  train  of  baggage  wagons.  Perhaps, 
then,  it  was  a  friendly  troop  coming  to  their  aid.  Instead, 
however,  it  was  the  Governor's  army  sent  to  execute  his 
monstrous  order  of  the  26th,  of  which  this  was  the  first 
notification  the  "Mormon"  people  had  received.  In  answer 
to  a  truce-flag  sent  out  by  the  mob-militia  a  messenger  went 
out  from  the  city  to  meet  him.  "We  want  you  to  send  us 
three  persons — the  Lightner  family — before  we  destroy  the 
rest !"  The  message  was  communicated  to  the  persons 
named,  who  were  non-"Mormons."  "The  Mormons  have 
treated  us  fairly,"  they  replied,  "and  we  will  die  with 
them."  The  Saints  spent  that  night  in  throwing  up  a  breast- 
work of  earth  and  logs  and  lumber  between  them  and  the 
army.  At  the  same  time  the  troops,  which  already  num- 
bered more  than  two  thousand,  received  additions  in  the  ar- 
rival of  a  large  company  fresh  from  the  Haun's  Mill  massa- 
cre, and  Gillium's  men  all  tricked  out  in  the  paint  and 
feathers  of  Indian  worriors,  who  had  affectionately  dubbed 
their  captain  the  "Delaware  Chief." 

Towards  evening  on  the  31st,  the  Prophet  says  he  was 
waited  upon  by  Colonel  Hinkle,  who  had  charge  of  the  Far 
West  militia,  and  who  stated  that  the  officers  of  the  army 
"desired  to  have  an  interview  with  him  and  some  others,  hop- 
ing that  the  difficulties  might  be  settled  without  having  oc- 
casion to  carry  into  effect  the  exterminating  orders."     Ac- 


270  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

cordingly,  Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon,  Lyman  Wight, 
Parley  P.  Pratt,  and  George  W.  Robinson  accompanied  Hin- 
kle  to  a  point  midway  between  the  city  and  the  place  of 
encampment.  Here  Lucas  was  stationed  with  fifty  militia- 
men as  a  guard. 

"General  Lucas,"  said  the  Colonel  as  he  reached  the  spot, 
"these  are  the  prisoners  I  agreed  to  deliver  to  you." 

The  brethren  were  thunderstruck.  They  had  been  de- 
coyed there  by  their  treacherous  friend  with  the  assurance 
that  they  were  to  confer  with  the  officers  respecting  the  set- 
tlment  of  the  difficulties  between  the  "Mormons"  and  the 
old  settlers.  General  Lucas  declares  that  Hinkle  had  solicited 
and  obtained  a  secret  conference  with  him,  the  upshot  of 
which  was  that  the  Colonel  agreed  (1)  to  give  up  the 
Church  leaders  for  trial  and  punishment,  (2)  to  turn  over  all 
the  property  of  those  who  had  taken  up  arms  for  the  pur- 
pose of  paying  for  the  damage  done  by  them,  (3)  to  see  that 
the  whole  body  of  "Mormons"  consented  to  leave  the  state, 
and  (4)  to  give  up  all  their  arms,  of  whatever  kind.  This 
man  had,  therefore,  not  only  taken  upon  himself  the  awful 
responsibility  of  settling  the  destiny  of  a  whole  people  in 
thus  giving  (some  say  bartering)  away  their  liberty,  but 
used  strategy  and  cunning  to  attain  his  evil  ends. 

The  words  we  have  quoted  had  no  sooner  left  the  Col- 
onel's lips  than  General  Lucas  ordered  his  guard  to  sur- 
round the  brethren — five  in  number  and  unarmed.  Gillium's 
warriors,  imitating  the  actions  as  they  had  done  the  dress  of 
their  savage  prototypes,  whooped  and  brandished  their 
weapons  like  so  many  frantic  devils.  Wight  says  that  five 
hundred  guns  were  cocked  and  pointed  at  them  on  the  in- 
stant. Then  the  prisoners  were  taken  into  the  camp.  All 
that  night  they  lay  out  on  the  wet  ground  in  a  heavy  rain, 
listening  to  the  oaths,  curses,  obscene  jokes  and  stories, 
and  blasphemous   language   of   their   foul-mouthed   guard. 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  271 

Next  morning  they  were  joined  by  Hyrum  Smith  and 
Amasa  Lyman,  also  prisoners.  That  day  (Nov.  1st)  a 
"court-martial"  was  held,  which  comprised,  besides  the  reg- 
ular officers,  some  seventeen  preachers  who  took  an  active 
part  in  the  deliberations.  The  decision  of  this  religio-mili- 
tary  body  may  be  learned  by  Lucas's  midnight  order  to  Gen- 
eral Donipham : 

"You  will  take  Joseph  Smith  and  the  other  prisoners  into 
the  public  square  of  Far  West,  and  shoot  them  at  nine 
o'clock  tomorrow  morning."  To  which  the  officer  addressed, 
in  a  mighty  burst  of  indignation,  replied :  "It  is  cold-blooded 
murder.  I  will  not  obey  your  orders.  My  brigade  shall 
march  for  Liberty  tomorrow  morning  at  eight  o'clock;  and 
if  you  execute  these  men,  I  will  hold  you  responsible  before 
an  earthly  tribunal,  so  help  me  God." 

Majesty  in  Chains. 

This  bold  stand  on  the  part  of  General  Donipham  probably 
saved  the  lives  of  the  seven  brethren.  For  next  morning 
they  were  taken  to  Far  West  preparatory  to  leaving  for  Inde- 
pendence, Jackson  county.  The  Saints  gathered  on  the 
public  square  to  take  a  last  look  of  their  beloved  leaders. 
Elder  Pratt,  under  a  guard  of  three  militiamen,  went  to  his 
home.  His  wife  lay  in  bed  sick  of  a  fever ;  an  infant  was  at 
her  breast  and  a  little  girl  six  years  old  by  the  bedside. 
Thrown  across  the  foot  of  the  bed  was  a  woman  who  had 
sought  the  shelter  of  his  home  to  endure  the  pangs  of  ma- 
ternity. At  sight  of  him  his  wife  burst  into  tears.  He 
endeavored  to  console  her  by  assurances  that  he  should  not 
suffer  the  death  his  enemies  had  pronounced  upon  him ;  and 
bade  her,  as  he  kissed  away  her  tears,  to  try  to  live  for  his 
sake  and  the  children's.  Embracing  his  little  ones,  he  hastily 
withdrew  to  open  the  floodgates  of  his  own  grief.  Ap- 
proaching General  Wilson,  he  described  the  condition  of  his 


272  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

family  and  begged  not  to  be  thus  torn  from  them ;  but  the 
flint-hearted  officer  answered  him  with  an  exultant  laugh  and 
a  volley  of  curses.  The  scene  in  which  Joseph  and  Hyrum 
figured  was  not  less  heart-rending.  They  were  not  even  per- 
mitted to  speak  to  their  wives  and  children.  They  yearned 
to  administer  a  word  of  consolation  to  their  stricken 
families,  and  to  assure  them  that  God  would  give  their  ene- 
mies no  power  over  their  lives ;  but  only  the  mute  language 
of  the  eye  was  permitted  and  the  silent  pressure  of  the  hand. 
Their  aged  parents  were  overwhelmed  with  sorrow  at  the 
prospect  of  not  seeing  their  sons  again. 

They  were  then  driven  to  Independence,  under  a  strong 
guard  commanded  by  General  Lucas  and  Wilson,  who  ex- 
hibited them  on  the  way,  and  also  in  the  public  streets  of  that 
town,  as  trophies  of  honorable  warfare !  They  were  lodged 
chiefly  at  the  Block  House,  though  they  received  better  treat- 
ment than  they  had  hitherto.  Here  they  remained  till  the 
8th,  when  they  were  taken  to  Richmond  for  trial. 

At  Independence  there  occurred  an  incident  which  we 
cannot  forbear  relating,  as  it  indicates  the  mettle  of  which 
so  many  of  those  early  Saints  were  composed.  Elder  Pratt, 
awaking  one  morning  before  any  of  the  rest  and  seeing  a  fine 
opportunity  to  make  his  escape,  rose  from  his  hard  bed,  on 
the  floor,  pillowed  by  a  block  of  wood,  and  went  to  the  door. 
This  he  found  unlocked,  for  they  were  now  but  indifferently 
guarded.  Opening  it,  he  stepped  out,  and  closed  it  carefully 
behind  him.  The  snow  was  falling  heavily.  So  much  the 
better,  he  thought,  for  my  tracks  will  be  obliterated.  Deter- 
mined to  see  how  far  he  could  carry  this  attempt  to  escape, 
he  left  the  jail,  walking  leisurely  at  first,  then  increasing  his 
pace,  till  finally  he  discovered  himself  to  be  running  at  a  high 
rate  of  speed.  He  stopped  in  a  small  grove  about  a  mile  out 
from  the  town.  Thoughts  of  freedom  beat  high  in  his 
breast.     He  could  escape  to  the  East,  send  for  his  family. 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  273 

and  live  in  peace  and  happiness.  But  what  would  become  of 
his  companions  in  the  meantime.  No  doubt  they  would  lose 
their  lives.  He  would  then  be  a  worse  traitor  than  Hinkle. 
So  he  returned  to  his  prison,  greeting  the  brethren  and  the 
solitary  guard  with  a  cheerful  good  morning. 

At  Richmond  their  treatment  was  harsh.  They  were 
thrust  into  what  General  Doniphan  afterwards  appropriately 
called  a  "bull  pen,"  and  chained  together.  They  were 
strongly  guarded.  Here  they  were  visited  by  General  Clark, 
of  whom  we  shall  learn  more  presently.  Of  him  they  in- 
quired concerning  the  charges  on  which  they  were  to  be 
tried,  and  how,  and  when.  By  court-martial,  Clark  replied, 
purposely  evading  the  other  two  questions.  Could  ministers 
of  the  gospel  be  tried  in  this  manner,  men  who  had  never 
been  connected  with  any  military  organization  ?  They  would 
find  out  soon.  The  General  himself,  however,  seemed  not 
to  be  altogether  clear  on  this  point.  He  labored  in  vain  to 
find  authority  for  such  a  high  handed  procedure.  Finally, 
he  delivered  the  brethren  over  to  the  civil  law,  and  they  were 
notified  that  they  were  to  be  tried  on  the  charges  of  "mur- 
der, treason,  burglary,  arson,  larceny,  theft,  and  stealing." 

It  was  here  and  under  these  circumstances  that  the  dram- 
atic scene  occurred,  which  the  limner's  art  and  Elder  Pratt's 
entrancing  pen  have  made  so  familiar  to  us  all.  "In  one  of 
those  tedious  nights,"  says  Parley,  "we  had  lain  as  if  in 
sleep  till  the  hour  of  midnight  had  passed,  and  our  ears  and 
hearts  had  been  pained,  while  we  had  listened  for  hours  to 
the  obscene  jests,  the  horrid  oaths,  the  dreadful  blasphemies, 
and  filthy  language  of  our  guards,  Colonel  Price  at  their 
head,  as  they  recounted  to  each  other  the  deeds  of  rapine, 
murder,  robbery,  etc.,  which  they  had  committed  among  the 
'Mormons'  while  at  Far  West  and  vicinity.  They  even 
boasted  of  defiling  by  force  wives,  daughters,  and  virgins, 
and  shooting  or  dashing  out  the  brains  of  men,  women  and 


274  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

children.  I  had  listened  till  I  became  so  disgusted, 
shocked,  horrified,  and  so  filled  with  the  spirit  of  indignant 
justice  that  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from  rising  upon  my 
feet  and  rebuking  the  guards;  but  had  said  nothing  to 
Joseph,  or  any  one  else,  although  I  lay  next  to  him  and  knew 
he  was  awake.  On  a  sudden  he  arose  to  his  feet,  and  spoke 
in  a  voice  of  thunder,  or  as  the  roaring  lion,  uttering,  as  near 
as  I  can  recollect,  the  following  words : 

"  'Silence,  ye  fiends  of  the  infernal  pit.  In  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ  I  rebuke  you,  and  command  you  to  be  still;  I 
will  not  live  another  minute  and  hear  such  language.  Cease 
such  talk,  or  you  or  I  die  this  instant!' 

•'He  ceased  to  speak.  He  stood  erect  in  terrible  majesty. 
Chained,  and  without  a  weapon ;  calm,  unruffled,  and  digni- 
fied as  an  angel,  he  looked  upon  the  quailing  guards,  whose 
knees  smote  together,  and  who,  shrinking  into  a  corner,  or 
crouching  at  his  feet,  begged  his  pardon,  and  remained 
quiet  till  a  change  of  guards.  I  have  seen  the  ministers  of 
justice,  clothed  in  magisterial  robes,  and  criminals  arraigned 
before  them,  while  life  was  suspended  on  a  breath,  in  the 
courts  of  England;  I  have  witnessed  a  congress  in  solemn 
session  to  give  laws  to  nations ;  I  have  tried  to  conceive  of 
kings,  of  royal  courts,  of  thrones  and  crowns;  and  of  em- 
perors assembled  to  decide  the  fate  of  kingdoms  ;  but  dignity 
and  majesty  have  I  seen  but  once,  as  it  stood  in  chains,  at 
midnight,  in  a  dungeon  in  an  obscure  village  of  Missouri." 

The  trial  of  these  brethren  was  the  merest  farce.  The 
judge  was  Austin  A.  King,  the  district  attorney  a  Mr.  Birch, 
both  of  whom  had  been  active  members  of  the  court-martial 
that  had  sentenced  these  very  men  to  be  shot.  King  proved 
himself  a  veritable  Jefferies.  The  country  was  dragged  for 
men  who  would  testify  against  them — apostates  and  other 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  275 

enemies ; — and  all  the  witnesses,  according  to  the  reports  of 
several,  who  were  there  sworn  "at  the  point  of  the  bayon- 
net."  One  of  them  said  something,  on  the  stand,  about 
the  belief  of  the  "Mormons"  in  Daniel's  latterday  kingdom 
of  God  in  its  literal  sense. 

"Put  that  down,"  shouted  the  Court  to  the  recorder,  "it's 
a  strong  point  for  treason !"  The  examination  for  the  State 
occupied  fifteen  days. 

"Where  are  your  witnesses  ?"  cried  the  Judge,  turning  to 
ttte  prisoners.  They  gave  him  a  list  of  forty  names.  The 
subpoenas  were  put  into  the  hands  of  Captain  Bogart,  who, 
with  fifty  men,  proceeded  to  Far  West.  They  brought  back 
nearly  all  whose  names  had  been  given.  But  they  were 
all  clapped  into  jail.  "Gentlemen,"  roared  the  Judge,  ad- 
dressing the  seven  brethren,  "unless  you  produce  your  wit- 
nesses you  will  be  remanded  to  prison.  We  cannot  hold 
court  open  much  longer."  Twenty  more  names  were  given. 
But  the  Saints  at  Caldwell,  having  been  warned  of  the 
court's  tactics,  evaded  the  military  preacher,  who,  in  conse- 
quence, returned  to  Richmond  with  only  one  person.  Like 
the  rest,  he  was  thrust  into  jail.  Still  the  Judge  demanded 
rebuttal  testimony,  and  when  it  was  not  forthcoming  threat- 
ened to  close  the  court  next  day.  At  this  moment  the  pris- 
oners happened  to  see  a  "Mormon"  named  Allen  passing  the 
window.  He  was  called  in  and  reluctantly  allowed  to  be 
sworn.  But  he  was  forcibly  taken  out  of  the  house  before  he 
could  testify.    And  the  court  adjourned. 

It  would  be  a  tedious  repetition  to  follow  in  detail  the  ill- 
fortune  of  these  brethren  further.  From  Richmond  Joseph 
and  Hyrum  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon,  Lyman  Wight,  Caleb 
Baldwin,  and  Alexander  McRae  were  committed  for  treason 
and  sent  to  Liberty  jail,  in  Clay  county;  while  Parley  P. 
Pratt,  Morris  Phelps,  Lyman  Gibbs,  Darwin  Chase,  and 
Norman   Shearer  were  detained  in  Richmond  jail  on  the 


276  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

charge  of  murder.  The  rest  were  either  released  or  ad- 
mitted to  bail.  Sidney  Rigdon,  who  had  suffered  so  much 
from  sickness  as  actually  to  derange  his  mind  for  a  time, 
was  subsequently  released.  The  other  five  brethren  in  the 
first  group  were  taken  in  April,  to  Daviess  county  and  tried. 
A  jury  of  men  who  had  committed  some  of  the  most  das- 
tardly acts  against  the  Saints,  and  who,  moreover,  performed 
duty  as  guard  at  night,  indicted  them  for  ''treason,  burglary, 
murder,  arson,  theft,  and  stealing."  The  brethren  were  given 
a  change  of  venue  to  Boon  county,  for  which  Judge  Birch 
made  out  a  mittimus  without  date,  name,  or  place ;  and  they 
were  accordingly  sent  thither  under  a  guard  of  five  men. 
But  one  night  on  the  way  one  of  the  guards  said,  'Tm  going 
to  bed,  and  you  can  do  as  you  want  to."  He  was  so  drunken 
as  to  be  perfectly  helpless.  Three  more  guards,  in  the  same 
confused  state  of  mind,  did  the  same.  The  fifth  helped  the 
brethren  to  saddle  their  horses.  And  so  they  escaped,  joining 
the  Saints  and  their  families  in  Illinois,  in  the  latter  part  of 
April,  1839,  after  an  incarceration  of  nearly  six  months, 
without  having  had  a  trial.  Parley  P.  Pratt,  likewise  un- 
tried during  eight  months,  escaped  from  prison  on  the  fourth 
of  July,  of  the  same  year,  and  also  his  companions  who  had 
not  been  released  before.  The  explanation  of  this  long  con- 
finement of  the  brethren  and  their  "escape"  under  these  cir- 
cumstances is,  that  the  State  authorities  did  not  know  what 
else  to  do  with  them.  If  the  brethren  were  freed  in  the 
legal  way,  the  implication  was  that  they  were  innocent  and 
the  whole  war  upon  the  "Mormons"  unjustifiable. 

Another  Exodus. 

Meantime,  what  had  become  of  the  Saints  at  Far  West? 
On  the  first  of  November  the  troops  marched  into  the  city, 
or  more  properly  speaking,  were  turned  loose  upon  the  in- 
habitants of  that  town.     They  entered  the  houses  of  the 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  277 

Saints  unbidden,  insulted  the  inmates,  and  took  possession  of 
whatever  articles  struck  their  fancy.  One  of  the  conditions 
of  surrender  arranged  between  Colonel  Hinkle  and  General 
Lucas  was  that  all  the  arms,  the  private  property  of  the 
brethren,  should  be  given  up.  The  mob,  therefore,  for  such 
the  soldiers  were  in  character,  "under  pretense  of  searching 
for  arms,  tore  up  floors,  upset  hay  stacks,  plundered  the  most 
valuable  effects  they  could  lay  their  hands  on,  and  wantonly 
wasted  and  destroyed  a  great  amount  of  property."  Joseph 
says  that  they  entered  his  house,  drove  out  his  family,  and 
carried  away  most  of  what  was  in  it.  Members  of  this 
militia,  in  their  brutal  lust,  violated  the  chastity  of  wives  and 
daughters,  under  circumstances  the  most  revolting,  after- 
wards boasting  of  these  unspeakable  outrages  in  the  pres- 
ence of  some  of  the  brethren.  One  of  the  women  was 
months  in  recovering  from  the  effects  of  this  fiendish  treat- 
ment, and  others,  it  is  asserted,  subsequently  died  from 
shame  and  mortification  at  what  they  looked  upon  as  their 
disgrace.  Many  of  the  brethren  were  compelled  at  the  muz- 
zle of  the  rifle  to  sign  deeds  of  trust  to  pay  the  expenses  of 
this  "war."  But  they  took  joyfully  the  spoiling  of  their 
goods.  "Judge  Cameron"  according  to  Heber  C.  Kimball, 
"said  with  an  oath,  'See  them  laugh  and  kick  up  their  heels. 
They  are  whipped  but  not  conquered.'  "  About  eighty  of  the 
brethren  were  taken  prisoners. 

On  the  sixth.  General  Clark  delivered  an  infamous  ad- 
dress to  the  men  at  Far  West  He  went  over  the  con- 
ditions of  the  "treaty."  The  first  two  had  been  complied 
with ;  the  leaders  were  in  custody,  and  the  arms  had  been 
given  up.  Were  it  not  done,  he  declared,  their  families 
would  now  have  been  destroyed  and  their  houses  be  in  ashes. 
After  complimenting  himself  upon  his  clemency  in  dealing 
with  them,  he  expressed  his  determination  to  execute  the 
Governor's  order  of  banishment.  They  need  have  no  hopes 
for  their  leaders,  he  went  on  to  say ;  their  fate  was  fixed,  their 


278  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

die  was  cast,  their  doom  was  sealed.  He  regretted  extremely 
that  "so  many  apparently  intelligent  men"  were  found 
in  their  situation,  and  generously  invoked  "the  spirit  of  the 
unknown  god"  to  rest  upon  and  deliver  them  from  that 
"awful  chain  of  superstition"  and  free  them  from  "those 
fetters  of  fanaticism"  with  which  they  were  bound.  He 
counseled  them  to  scatter  out  from  now  on  and  not  again 
"organize  themselves  with  bishops  and  priests,"  lest  they  ex- 
cite the  jealousy  of  the  people  and  bring  down  calamity  upon 
their  heads.  "You  have  always  been  the  aggressors,"  he 
said,  "you  have  brought  upon  yourselves  these  difficulties, 
by  being  disaffected  and  not  being  subject  to  rule."  Then 
he  left  for  Richmond  to  seal  the  "doom"  which  he  had  pro- 
nounced upon  the  "Mormon"  leaders.  "I  was  present  when 
that  speech  was  delivered,"  exclaims  Elder  Kimball,  "and  I 
can  truly  say,  'He  is  a  liar  and  the  truth  is  not  in  him !' ,: 

From  this  time  on,  the  most  stringent  restrictions  were 
put  upon  the  actions  of  the  Saints.  They  were  not  to  collect 
anywhere  in  bodies  of  more  than  five.  Those  in  outlying 
settlements  were  to  go  to  Far  West.  The  Saints  at  Diah- 
man  had  been  given  ten  days  in  which  to  leave.  And  this 
just  after  a  number  of  the  brethren  had  been  tried  and  ac- 
quitted by  Adam  Black !  No  one  was  to  pass  from  one  set- 
tlement to  another  nor  out  of  the  State  without  a  signed  per- 
mit. Heber  C.  Kimball  declares  that  one  afternoon  he  sent 
his  son  William  on  a  short  errand,  when  a  guard  threatened 
"to  blow  out  his  brains  if  he  stepped  one  inch  further." 
Committees  of  "Mormons"  were  appointed  to  gather  up  the 
stock  in  Daviess  county,  and  to  remove  other  property  from 
there,  each  member  wearing  a  badge  on  his  hat  by  which  he 
might  be  recognized. 

Meanwhile  active  preparations  were  making  to  leave  the 
State.  In  these,  Apostle  Brigham  Young  was  the  leader, 
by  reason  of  his  position  as  head  of  the  Church  in  the  ab- 
sence of  the  First  Presidency.     Meetings  of  the  brethren 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  279 

were  held  at  which  they  were  required  to  express  their  senti- 
ments concerning  the  work  of  the  Lord;  resolutions  were 
adopted  binding  those  present  to  aid  the  poor  to  leave  Mis- 
souri ;  and  afterwards  petitions  were  circulated  pledging  the 
signers  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  see  that  the  needy  were 
provided  for.  Accordingly,  there  were  manifested  among 
the  Saints  generally  during  this  trying  period  great  un- 
selfishness, unity,  and  brotherly  love.  By  April  Missouri, 
which  had  proved  only  a  land  of  pilgrimage  for  them,  held 
but  a  few  of  the  twelve  thousand  "Mormons"  that  had  set- 
tled within  her  borders. 

Your  Cause  is  Just,  But — 

When  the  legislature  met  in  December,  a  committee  of  nine 
drafted  a  petition,  on  behalf  of  the  Saints,  and  forwarded  it 
to  the  capital  by  David  H.  Redman.  This  very  able  docu- 
ment gave  the  principal  points  in  the  troubles  that  had  oc- 
curred between  them  and  the  other  citizens  both  in  Jackson 
county  and  in  Caldwell  and  Daviess  counties,  requested  the 
legislature  to  rescind  the  order  of  Governor  Boggs  to  drive 
them  from  the  State,  and  asked  for  an  appropriation  suffi- 
cient to  cover  the  amount  taken  from  them  in  arms,  about 
twelve  thousand  dollars.  As  to  other  damages  they  said 
nothing,  since  it  would  be  impossible  to  obtain  satisfactory 
evidence  in  the  matter.  The  Governor  in  his  message  called 
the  attention  of  the  law  makers  to  the  "late  disturbances." 

The  petition,  which  was  listened  to  with  profound  silence, 
provoked  a  heated  discussion.  Some  wanted  an  immediate 
investigation  of  the  whole  affair,  others  took  the  ground 
that  the  very  petition  was  an  insult  to  the  legislature,  since 
it  contained  not  a  word  of  truth,  and  would  best  be  got 
rid  of  immediately.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  examine 
and  classify  the  documents  relating  to  the  difficulties,  which 
have  been  presented  by  the  Governor  with  his  message,  for 
the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  advisability  of  publishing 


280  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

them.  In  its  report  to  the  legislature,  this  committee  divided 
these  papers  into  (1)  the  affidavits  and  correspondence  pre- 
ceding each  series  of  authorized  military  operations,  (2)  the 
orders  isued  upon  such  evidence,  (3)  the  military  opera- 
tions and  correspondence  consequent  thereon,  and  (4)  the 
evidence  taken  before  a  court  of  inquiry,  held  for  the  investi- 
gation of  criminal  charges  against  individuals.  The  com- 
mittee thought  it  inexpedient  "to  prosecute  further  the  in- 
quiry into  the  causes  of  the  late  disturbances"  and  therefore 
to  publish  any  of  the  documents ;  but  suggested  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  committee  "to  investigate  the  cause  of  said  dis- 
turbances, and  the  conduct  of  the  military  operations  in  sup- 
pressing them."  The  report  was  adopted,  and  subsequently 
such  a  committee  was  provided  for  by  a  bill  introduced  by 
Mr.  Turner,  the  chairman  of  the  first  committee,  but  it  was 
laid  on  the  table  by  a  vote  of  forty-eight  to  thirty-seven,  and 
never  taken  from  it.  When  the  session  of  1840-41  met,  the 
Governor  again  referred  to  the  "Mormon  insurrection,"  ad- 
vising the  publication  of  such  documents  as  would  "explain 
the  attitude  which  we  have  been  made  to  assume."  A  col- 
lection was  accordingly  prepared  covering  one  hundred  and 
sixty-two  pages.  "In  the  collection,  however,"  says  B.  H. 
Roberts,  "there  are  none  of  the  statements,  petitions,  or  rep- 
resentations made  to  the  public  or  the  legislature  by  the 
Saints.  The  documents  consist  in  part  of  the  action  of  the 
respective  houses  in  the  appointment  of  committees  and  re- 
ports of  those  committees  recommending  investigations,  etc. ; 
of  the  reports  and  military  orders  of  the  militia  generals; 
while  the  remainder  of  the  phamphlet  is  made  up  of  the  ex- 
parte  testimony  taken  before  Judge  King  at  Richmond,  con- 
cerning which  testimony  the  Turner  senate  committee  in  re- 
porting to  the  senate  pronounced  manifestly  'not  such  evi- 
dence as  ought  to  be  received  by  the  committee.'  " 

The  legislature,  however,  did  make  an  appropriation  of 
two  thousand  dollars  to  be  distributed  among  the  people  of 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  281 

Daviess  and  Caldwell  counties,  the  "Mormons"  not  excluded ! 
The  distributing  committee  "took  a  few  miserable  traps,  the 
sweepings  of  an  old  store,"  together  with  a  number  of 
hogs  which  belonged  to  the  Saints  and  which  they  had 
shot  down  and  cut  up  without  further  bleeding,  and  divided 
these  among  "the  poor  Mormons  as  part  of  the  legislative 
appropriation.''  Of  these  facts  there  is  abundant  proof. 
During  the  same  session  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  was 
appropriated  to  defray  the  expenses  incurred  in  expelling  the 
Saints  from  the  State,  in  the  execution  of  the  Governor's 
exterminating  order ! 

But  the  Saints  were  not  satisfied  with  this  disposition  of 
the  matter.  They  appealed  their  case  to  the  President  and 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 

Some  time  in  May,  1840,  the  Prophet  Joseph  and  Elias 
Higbee  went  to  Washington  for  the  purpose  of  laying  their 
grievances  before  President  Van  Buren,  reaching  the  na- 
tional capital  late  in  November.  They  had  in  their  posses- 
sion numerous  affidavits,  covering  all  phases  of  the  Missouri 
affair,  and  also  letters  of  introduction  from  prominent 
western  men  to  the  chief  executive  and  some  of  the  law- 
makers at  Washington.  Calling  on  the  President,  they  re- 
lated their  tragic  story,  to  which  he  calmly  replied :  "Gentle- 
men, your  cause  is  just,  but  I  can  do  nothing  for  you.  If 
I  take  up  your  cause,  I  shall  lose  the  vote  of  Missouri."  He 
was  then  meditating  a  second  term.  The  brethren  returned 
home,  with  no  very  exalted  notion  of  the  President  and  his 
Congress.  Thus  ended  the  last  efforts  of  the  Saints  to  ob- 
tain redress  for  their  great  loss  of  property  and  life  in  that 
State,  and  they  rested  their  case  with  the  Great  Judge  of  all 
the  earth. 

Retribution. 

Without  question  the  crimes  committed  against  the  Saints  by 

the  people  of  Upper  Missouri,  are  to  be  charged  mainly  to 


282  ONE   HUNDRED    YEARS  OF    MORMONISM 

the  cowardice  of  Dunklin  and  the  knavery  of  Boggs.  The 
former  refused  to  believe  that  any  portion  of  his  people 
would  be  guilty  of  doing  what  he  had  ample  proofs  before 
him  that  they  are  doing;  the  latter,  when  odds  against  the 
Saints  were  the  greatest,  said,  "The  quarrel  is  between  the 
Mormons  and  the  mob,  and  they  must  fight  it  out,"  and 
afterwards  upon  extremely  questionable  evidence  issued  his 
cruel  and  illegal  edict  to  expel  or  exterminate  the  "Mor- 
mons," purposely  selecting  such  leaders  as  would  not  scruple 
to  carry  out  the  order  to  the  last  hideous  detail.  Both  Gov- 
ernors could  have  crushed  the  mob  easily  had  the  one  pos- 
sessed sufficient  courage  and  the  other  sufficient  honor.  But 
they  chose  to  adopt  a  different  course,  thus  bringing  upon 
the  otherwise  fair  name  of  the  State  a  weight  of  eternal 
shame. 

The  measure  which  the  State  meted  to  the  Latter-day 
Saints — for  the  burden  of  guilt  was  shared  now  by  the  whole 
State  in  her  legislative  indifference — "shall  be  measured  to 
them  again,"  said  Heber  C.  Kimball ;  "and  upon  those  who 
had  a  hand  in  our  persecution  and  expulsion,  and  those  who 
consented  to  it,  four-fold,  full,  running  over,  and  pressed 
down ;  and  as  the  Lord  God  Almighty  liveth,  I  shall  live  to 
see  it  come  to  pass."  And  Joseph  the  Prophet  had  already 
declared  that  the  Lord  would  "come  out  of  his  hiding-place 
and  vex  the  nation  with  a  sore  vexation."  These  predic- 
tions were  literally  fulfilled  in  the  horrors  of  the  Civil  War. 
And  Missouri  was  literally  baptized  in  fire  and  blood. 

Governor  Boggs,  in  1838,  taking  the  legislative,  execu- 
tive, and  judicial  powers  in  his  own  hands,  issued  his  fright- 
ful order  for  the  extermination  or  banishment  of  twelve 
thousand  people  indiscriminately,  at  a  cruel  loss  of  property 
and  life.  Governor  Jackson,  at  the  opening  of  the  Civil  War, 
dragged  the  whole  state  into  the  Confederate  ranks,  after 
the  people  in  a  regular  convention  had  expressed  their  de- 
termination  to  remain  in  the  Union,  and  after  the  legislature 


Missouri's  bloodstained  escutcheon  283 

had  refused  to  authorize  his  measures.  Missouri  presented 
a  "spectacle  of  a  state  plunged  into  secession  and  civil  war, 
not  in  obedience  to,  but  in  defiance  of,  the  action  of  her  con- 
stitution and  the  express  will  of  her  people — not  even  by  any 
direct  act  of  her  legislature,  but  by  the  will  of  her  executive 
alone."  And  the  result  was  a  scene  of  violence  and  blood- 
shed, unparalleled  in  any  other  state.  General  Fremont, 
who  had  been  sent  out  there  by  Lincoln  to  put  down  the  re- 
bellion, said  in  his  report:  Circumstances,  in  my  judgment, 
of  sufficient  urgency,  render  it  necessary  that  the  command- 
ing general  of  this  department  should  assume  the  adminis- 
trative power  of  the  State.  Its  disorganized  condition,  the 
helplessness  of  the  civil  authority,  the  total  insecurity  of 
life  and  the  devastation  of  property  by  bands  of  murderers 
and  marauders,  who  infest  nearly  every  county  in  the  State, 
avail  themselves  of  the  public  misfortunes  and  the  vicinity 
of  a  hostile  force  to  gratify  private  and  neighborhood  ven- 
geance, and  who  find  an  enemy  wherever  they  find  plunder, 
finally  demanded  the  severest  measures  to  repress  the  daily 
increasing  crimes  and  outrages  which  are  driving  off  the  in- 
habitants and  ruining  the  State."  The  General's  subsequent 
measures  there  were  so  arbitrary  and  rigorous  as  to  put  him 
in  jeopardy  for  a  time  after  the  conclusion  of  the  war ;  but 
he  was  exonerated  from  blame  in  view  of  the  prevailing 
condition.  Jackson  county,  especially,  was  the  scene  of 
devastation  and  violence.  Almost  the  whole  country  went  up 
in  flames.  Only  the  chimneys  of  the  houses  remained  stand- 
ing— dark  sentinels  of  the  burnt  region.  Even  the  inhab- 
itants were  driven  oft  or  taken  prisoners.  Today  not  a  man 
descended  from  those  who  assisted  in  the  drivings  and  ex- 
pulsion of  the  Saints  from  Missouri  can  be  found  in  the 
county.  Their  very  memories  have  perished  utterly. 
"Vengeance  is  mine,  saith  the  Lord,  and  I  will  repay!" 


PART  THIRD 

Nauvoo  the  Beautiful 


CHAPTER  I 

RISING    FROM    THE    ASHES 

Nothing  exhibits  better  the  marvelous  recuperative  power 
of  "Mormonism"  than  the  manner  in  which  it  flourished 
in  Illinois.  Stripped  and  peeled  when  they  entered  that 
state,  these  Latter-day  Saints  almost  immediately  sprang 
up  into  a  community  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  the 
like  of  which  was  not  to  be  found  in  western  America,  so 
happy  and  prosperous  were  they,  with  a  city  and  a  temple, 
with  institutions,  civic,  military,  and  religious,  the  wonder 
and  admiration  of  all  who  beheld  them. 

The  Exiles  at  Quincy. 

For  that  journey  from  Caldwell  county,  in  Missouri,  had 
proved  a  saddening  affair.  President  Young,  who  had  been 
forced  to  flee  the  country  before  he  had  finished  the  prepara- 
tions to  move  his  people,  left  his  family  eleven  times  and  re- 
turned to  aid  those  who  were  not  able  to  go  without  assist- 
ance. Samuel  H.  Smith  and  seven  other  brethren  were  pur- 
sued for  many  miles  by  a  band  of  Missourians  who  had 
sworn  to  do  them  violence,  but  who  were  prevented  from  ac- 
complishing their  fell  designs  by  the  timely  appearance  of  a 
blinding  snow-storm.    Their  provisions  having  given  out  be- 


RISING  FROM   THE  ASHES  285 

fore  they  reached  their  destination,  these  brethren  were  com- 
pelled to  subsist  on  barks  and  buds.  Joseph  and  Lucy  Smith 
parents  of  the  now  imprisoned  Prophet,  had  to  borrow  a 
wagon  and  team  with  which  to  leave  Missouri.  During  the 
earlier  portion  of  their  journey,  it  rained  incessantly,  and  in 
the  end  it  snowed  several  inches.  Lucy  says  that  she  walked 
a  good  part  of  the  way  to  relieve  the  team ;  and  while  waiting 
to  cross  the  Mississippi,  they  had  to  spread  their  beds  on  the 
snow,  and  this  white  mantle  they  found  also  to  cover  them 
next  morning.  The  aged  Patriarch,  during  these  expos- 
ures, contracted  consumption,  from  which  disease  he  died  in 
September,  1840,  a  victim  of  Missouri  mobs.  And  the 
Smiths  were  only  one  family  in  many  hundreds  to  endure 
the  sufferings  and  hardships  of  this  forced  exodus. 

Ouincy,  Illinois,  was  the  immediate  refuge  of  the  exiles, 
This  town,  with  a  population  at  the  time  of  only  a  few  thou- 
sands, is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  the  "Father  of  Waters," 
one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  southwest  of  Chicago.  The  in- 
habitants of  this  place,  as  indeed  the  people  generally  of  the 
state,  were  shocked  at  the  conduct  of  Missouri  toward  the 
"Mormons."  The  Ouincy  Argus  dealt  out  unmeasured  con- 
demnation to  Governor  Boggs,  and  his  exterminating  army. 
"We  could  wish,"  it  declared  editorially,  "that  Missouri's  star 
were  stricken  from  the  bright  constellation  of  the  Union." 
The  Governor  of  Illinois,  too, — Carlin — approved  "with  en- 
thusiasm" a  plan  of  Sidney  Rigdon's  for  impeaching  Mis- 
souri at  the  bar  of  the  States,  and  gave  him  letters  of  intro- 
duction to  the  nation's  President  and  the  Governor  of  Ohio, 
as  "a  man  of  piety  and  a  valuable  citizen." 

Unfortunately,  however,  charity  seems  not  to  have  been 
the  only  motive  which  led  the  Illinoisians  to  receive  the  out- 
cast "Mormons."  They  evidently  had  political  and  commer- 
cial reasons  as  well  for  their  humane  actions.  It  was  on  the 
eve  of  a  presidential  election,  and  the  politicians  were  not 


286  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

slow  to  see  the  advantage  of  having  the  "Mormon"  vote  on 
their  side.  Thus,  unconsciously  perhaps  to  the  Saints  and 
their  benefactors  alike,  a  snare  was  being  laid  before  the  feet 
of  the  unwary  "Mormons,"  into  which  they  were  unwittingly 
to  step  a  few  years  later.  However,  Illinois,  though  not  a 
railroad  or  a  canal  had  been  completed,  was  in  debt  more 
than  fourteen  million  dollars.  "The  impossibility  of  selling," 
observes  Governor  Ford  in  his  History  of  Illinois,  "kept  us 
from  losing  population ;  the  fear  of  disgrace  or  high  taxes 
prevented  us  from  gaining  materially."  The  county  of 
Hancock,  according  to  the  census  of  1830,  contained  fewer 
than  five  hundred  inhabitants  as  compared  with  thirty-two 
thousand,  in  1900. 

The  initiative  step  in  welcoming  the  Saints  was  taken  by 
the  Democratic  Association  of  Quincy.  Several  meetings 
were  held,  at  which  resolutions  were  passed  expressing  sym- 
pathy for  the  afflicted  Saints.  The  society  affirmed  the 
"rights  of  conscience"  to  have  been  grossly  violated  by  "the 
inhabitants  of  the  western  frontier  of  Missouri,"  and  ad- 
vised the  people  of  Quincy  to  give  material  assistance  to  the 
"Mormons,"  and  likewise  to  abstain  from  the  use  of  ex- 
pressions that  might  wound  the  sensibilities  of  the  new- 
comers. And  the  Quincyites  were  not  slow  to  act  upon  this 
advice,  for  they  showed  great  kindness  to  them. 

Our  people,  on  their  part,  were  careful  not  to  abuse  this 
generosity.  Apostle  Taylor  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Argus  ex- 
pressing gratitude  for  the  way  in  which  the  "Mormons"  had 
been  treated,  and  warned  the  inhabitants  of  Quincy  and 
vicinity  against  being  imposed  upon  by  persons  who  claimed 
membership  in  the  Church,  but  who  had  either  been  expelled 
from  the  society  for  unchristian  conduct  or  had  never  be- 
longed to  it.  He  disclaimed  fellowship  with  those  "who  had 
contracted  habits  which  were  at  variance  with  principles  of 
moral  rectitude" — from  whom  the  people  of  Quincy  stood 


RISING  FROM   THE  ASHES  287 

most  in  danger — and  those  also  who  were  inclined  "to 
abuse  philanthropy  and  benevolence"  by  endeavoring  to 
work  up  the  feelings  of  the  charitable  and  humane,  get  into 
their  debt  without  any  prospect  or  intention  of  paying/'  and 
then  of  shifting  the  odium  of  bad  character  upon  the  Church. 

Commerce. 

Meanwhile  efforts  were  being  made  to  find  a  new  home  for 
this  wandering  nation  of  "Mormons."  Before  the  arrival  of 
the  Prophet,  in  the  latter  part  of  April,  nothing  definite  had 
been  done,  though  two  conferences  had  been  held — one  in 
February  and  another  in  April — to  consider  some  offers  of 
land  by  a  Dr.  Isaac  Galland.  But  two  days  had  not  passed 
since  Joseph's  coming  before  he,  Bishop  Knight,  and  Alan- 
son  Ripley  were  on  their  way  to  examine  the  tracts  of  land 
offered  for  sale.  This  resulted  in  the  purchase  of  two  farms 
of  Dr.  Galland ;  one  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  for 
five  thousand  dollars ;  and  another,  a  larger  one,  for  nine 
thousand.  This  was  at  what  was-  called  Commerce.  Subse- 
quently, other  purchases  were  made,  one  especially  of  five 
hundred  acres  for  fifty-three  thousand  dollars.  All  were  on 
easy  terms,  the  latter,  for  instance,  one-half  in  ten  years,  and 
the  rest  in  twenty  years.  Later,  a  tract  of  land,  some  twenty 
thousand  acres  in  Lee  county,  Iowa,  was  bought.  And  there 
were  still  other  purchases  made. 

Commerce  was  situated  about  fifty  miles  above  Quincy, 
and  lay  in  a  majestic  curve  of  the  Mississippi,  half  encir- 
cled by  water.  For  a  mile  or  so  eastward  from  the  river  the 
ground  rose  gradually  and  then  broke  off  into  a  waving 
prairie,  extending  for  many  miles  and  covered  with  a  vari- 
ety of  flowers.  But  this  part  of  the  country  was  at  the  time 
unfavorable  for  human  habitation,  though  a  few  cabins  had 
been  erected  there.  "The  land  was  mostly  covered  with 
trees  and  bushes,  and  much  of  it  was  so  wet  that  it  was  with 


288  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

difficulty  that  a  footman  could  get  through,  and  totally  im- 
possible for  a  team."  Nevertheless,  with  that  keen  awareness 
to  a  fine  situation  which  has  always  characterized  the  leaders 
of  the  Church,  Joseph  chose  this  place  at  which  to  build  a 
city.  Opposite  Commerce,  across  the  river,  was  Montrose,, 
where  were  some  old  barracks. 

As  soon  as  this  selection  of  a  site  for  their  new  home 
had  been  made,  the  Saints  began  gathering  there.  At  first, 
families  occupied  all  the  old  houses  that  were  available,  some 
lived  in  tents  and  wagons  and  others  were  satisfied  with  the 
open  air.  Apostles  Woodruff  and  Young,  with  their  fam- 
ilies, occupied  a  room,  fourteen  feet  square,  at  Montrose, 
formerly  used  by  the  soldiers ;  and  when  the  latter  moved 
into  other  quarters  with  his  wife  and  children,  Orson  Pratt 
and  his  family  moved  into  it  with  Brother  Woodruff. 

It  was  here  and  under  these  conditions  that  occurred 
what  President  Woodruff  called  a  day  of  God's  power — 
July  22,  1839.  The  shattered  bodies  of  the  Saints  proved 
too  weak  for  the  ravages  of  disease  germs  lurking  in  the 
place,  and  almost  everybody  there  became  ill.  Joseph  had 
given  up  his  house  to  the  sick  and  lodged  in  a  tent  in  the 
door-yard.  On  the  morning  of  this  day  he  rose,  after  re- 
flecting upon  the  sufferings  of  the  Saints  and  praying  that 
God  would  mitigate  these,  and  began  a  marvelous  course 
of  healing.  First,  he  administered  to  the  sick  in  his  own 
house  and  door-yard,  then  those  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
afterwards,  with  a  number  of  the  Twelve,  crossing  over  to 
Montrose.  All  recovered  under  his  hands.  One  case  is  es- 
pecially noticeable. 

Elijah  Fordham  lay,  at  Montrose,  unconscious,  with  the 
death-glaze  in  his  eye.  He  had  been  dying  for  an  hour,  and 
every  moment  was  thought  to  be  his  last.  Joseph  and  his 
fellow  apostles  entered  the  room  where  he  lay. 

''Elijah,  do  you  know  me?"  whispered  the  Prophet.     At 


RISING  FROM  THE  ASHES  289 

first,  he  received  no  answer,  but  repeated  the  question  till  the 
sick  man,  under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit,  rallied  and  said 
faintly  that  he  did. 

"Have  you  faith  to  be  healed  ?" 

"I  am  afraid  it  is  too  late.  If  you  had  come  sooner,  I 
think  it  might  have  been." 

"Do  you  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ?" 

"I  do,  Brother  Joseph,  I  do." 

Then  the  Prophet,  "as  with  the  voice  of  God,"  uttered  the 
words:  "Elijah,  I  command  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  to  arise  and  be  made  whole." 

And  the  sick  man  rose,  leaping  from  his  bed,  asked  for 
and  ate  some  food,  and  followed  the  brethren  on  their  tour 
of  healing. 

As  Joseph  was  about  to  return  to  Commerce,  a  man 
came  up,  a  non-"Mormon,"  having  heard  of  this  strange 
miracle,  and  asked  that  the  Prophet  heal  his  twins  at  his 
home  two  miles  distant.  Joseph,  taking  out  a  handkerchief 
from  his  pocket,  gave  it  to  Brother  Woodruff  with  the  re- 
quest that  he  put  it  upon  the  children's  faces  as  he  adminis- 
tered to  them,  remarking  at  the  same  time,  "As  long  as  you 
keep  that  handkerchief,  it  shall  remain  a  league  between  you 
and  me."  Apostle  Woodruff  did  as  the  Prophet  directed, 
and  the  children  were  healed. 

In  April,  1840,  the  name  Commerce  was  changed  to 
Nauvoo.  The  word  was  declared  by  the  Prophet  Joseph  to 
signify  "beautiful"  with  an  idea  also  of  rest.  By  June  of 
this  year,  two  hundred  and  fifty  houses  had  been  built  there. 

The  Grozvth  of  the  City. 

In  December,  1840,  the  legislature  passed  a  bill  incorporat- 
ing the  City  of  Nauvoo.  The  charter  was  the  work  chiefly 
of  the  Prophet,  who  said  that  he  had  made  it  "on  principles 
so  broad,  that  every  honest  man  might  dwell  secure  under 


290  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

its  protecting  influences. "  And  indeed  it  was  a  noble  instru- 
ment. It  provided  for  a  city  council  consisting  of  a  mayor, 
four  aldermen,  and  nine  councilors  to  be  elected  by  the  quali- 
fied voters  of  the  city.  Every  religious  society,  of  whatever 
name  or  nature,  was  guaranteed  protection.  "Should  any 
person,"  one  section  declared,  "be  guilty  of  ridiculing  and 
abusing,  or  otherwise  deprecating  another,  in  consequence  of 
his  religion,  or  of  disturbing  or  interrupting  any  religious 
meeting  within  the  limits  of  this  city,  he  shall,  on  conviction 
before  the  mayor  or  municipal  court,  be  considered  a  dis- 
turber of  the  peace,  and  fined  in  any  sum  not  exceeding  five 
dollars,  or  imprisoned  not  exceeding  six  months,  or  both,, 
at  the  discretion  of  said  mayor  and  court." 

The  first  election  was  held  in  the  following  February- 
John  C.  Bennett,  was  chosen  mayor ;  William  Marks,  Sam- 
uel H.  Smith,  Daniel  H.  Wells,  and  Newel  K.  Whitney,  were 
made  aldermen ;  Joseph  Smith,  Hyrum  Smith,  Sidney  Rig- 
don,  Charles  C.  Rich,  John  T.  Barnett,  Wilson  Law,  Don 
Carlos  Smith,  J.  P.  Greene,  and  Vinson  Knight,  were  elected 
councilors.  The  mayor  was  a  physician  who  had  recently 
joined  the  Church  and  who  had  performed  some  valuable 
services  to  the  "Mormon"  people  in  connection  with  the 
charter.  But  we  shall  hear  more  of  him  anon.  Daniel  PL 
Wells,  who  was  a  non-"Mormon"  at  the  time,  had  been  liv- 
ing at  Commerce  for  a  year  or  so  before  the  settlement  of 
the  Saints  there.  The  first  two  acts  of  the  new  city  govern- 
ment were  an  expression  of  gratitude  to  the  legislature  for 
granting  the  charter  and  to  the  people  of  Ouincy  for  their 
kindness,  and  an  ordinance  prohibiting  the  sale  of  intoxicat- 
ing liquors  in  Nauvoo. 

The  charter  provided  also  for  the  organization  of  an  in- 
dependent militia  to  be  called  the  Nauvoo  Legion.  This 
military  body,  said  the  Prophet  in  an  epistle  to  the  Saints 
abroad,  ''embraces  all  our  military  power,  and  will  enable  us 


RISING   FROM   THE  ASHES  291 

to  perform  our  military  duty  by  ourselves,  and  thus  afford 
us  the  power  and  privilege  of  avoiding  one  of  the  most  fruit- 
ful sources  of  strife,  oppression  and  collision  with  the  world. 
It  will  enable  us  to  show  our  attachment  to  the  State  and  Na- 
tion, as  a  people,  whenever  the  public  service  requires  our 
aid,  thus  proving  ourselves  obedient  to  the  paramount  laws 
of  the  land,  and  ready  at  all  times  to  sustain  and  execute 
them."  The  election  of  officers  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Jos- 
eph Smith  for  lieutenant-general ;  John  C.  Bennett,  major- 
general  ;  Wilson  Law,  brigadier-general  of  the  first  cohort ; 
and  Don  Carlos  Smith,  brigadier-general  of  the  second  co- 
hort. Subsequently,  these  men  received  commissions  from 
the  Governor.  In  1844  this  body  of  militia  numbered  about 
five  thousand  men. 

Provisions  were  also  made  by  this  charter  "for  the  teach- 
ing of  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  learned  professions"  at 
a  university  to  be  established  within  the  limits  of  the  city. 
Soon  after  the  machinery  of  the  city  government  were  set, 
the  council  passed  an  ordinance  according  to  which  a  chan- 
cellor and  regents  were  appointed.  There  were  no  funds  at 
the  time  either  for  buildings  or  equipments,  but  a  site  was 
chosen  and  plans  drawn  for  the  proposed  structure. 

Meantime,  ecclesiastical  organizations  were  effected.  The 
twelve  thousand  and  more  Saints  in  Illinois  who  settled 
chiefly  in  Adams  and  Hancock  counties,  in  that  state,  and  in 
Lee  county,  Iowa,  were  augmented  from  time  to  time  by 
Saints  from  England,  who  began  emigrating  in  1840.  In 
this  year  about  two  hundred  and  forty  arrived  at  Nauvoo; 
in  1841,  nine  hundred;  in  1842,  nearly  twelve  hundred; 
1843,  between  seven  and  eight  hundred;  and  it  is  estimated 
that  while  the  "Mormons"  lived  in  Illinois,  about  five  thou- 
sand Saints  emigrated  from  the  old  world.  Nauvoo  rapidly 
grew  into  the  largest  city  in  the  state,  having  a  population 
of  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  thousand  in  1844. 


292  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

As  early  as  October,  1839,  two  stakes  were  organized, 
one  on  the  Illinois  and  the  other  on  the  Iowa  side  of  the 
river.  The  former  was  presided  over  by  William  Marks,  the 
latter  by  John  Smith.  In  the  following  year  other  stakes 
were  organized  in  Hancock,  Adams,  and  Morgan  counties, 
but  in  May,  1841,  all  stakes  outside  of  Lee  and  Hancock 
counties,  were  abandoned  and  the  Saints  advised  to  come  to 
the  latter  county.  The  city,  too,  was  divided  into  wards, 
with  bishops  and  counselors. 

Quorums,  likewise,  were  made  complete.  The  death,  in 
September,  1840,  of  Joseph  Smith,  Sen.,  had  left  vacant 
the  office  of  Patriarch  to  the  Church,  and  there  were  six 
vacancies  in  the  quorum  of  Twelve.  Hyrum  Smith,  who  had 
been  second  counselor  to  Joseph  since  the  removal  of  Fred- 
erick G.  Williams,  was  made  Patriarch,  William  Law  taking 
his  place  in  the  First  Presidency.  John  Taylor,  John  E. 
Page,  Willard  Richards,  Wilford  Woodruff,  George  A. 
Smith,  and  Lyman  Wight  were  ordained  apostles  and  mem- 
bers of  the  quorum  of  Twelve,  during  this  Nauvoo  period. 

In  May,  1842,  the  Female  Relief  Society  was  organized, 
with  Emma  Smith  as  President;  Elizabeth  Ann  Whitney, 
and  Sarah  M.  Cleveland,  counselors ;  Elvira  Cowles,  treas- 
urer; and  Eliza  R.  Snow,  secretary.  Its  object  was  to 
help  the  poor,  nurse  the  sick,  relieve  the  wants  of  the  widows 
and  orphans,  and  to  exercise  all  benevolent  functions.  This 
organization  has  since  become  one  of  the  great  institutions 
in  the  Church.  In  March  of  the  following  year,  a  Young 
Gentlemen's  and  Ladies'  Relief  Society  was  organized,  with 
William  Cutler  as  its  president ;  but  this  organization  has  no 
existence  at  present. 

Nor  did  the  Saints  neglect  the  work  of  the  press.  In 
November,  1839,  a  monthly  periodical  called  the  Times  and 
Seasons  was  begun,  with  Don  Carlos  Smith  as  editor  and 
manager.     Later,  Joseph  himself  became  editor,  but  when 


RISING   FROM   THE  ASHES  293 

he  became  too  busy  with  the  increased  duties  of  President,  he 
resigned  the  editorial  chair  to  John  Taylor.  William  Smith 
in  April,  1842,  established  a  weekly  paper,  The  Wasp,  which, 
in  May,  1843,  became  the  Nauvoo  Neighbor,  with  John 
Taylor  as  editor. 

Thus  Nauvoo  rose  very  quickly  from  the  marshland, 
reaching  its  high  water  mark  of  splendor  in  1844 ;  and  the 
"Mormon"  Church  assumed  proportions  in  Illinois  such  as 
the  most  sanguine  expectations  would  not  have  predicted  in 
that  melancholy  winter  of  1838-9.  'The  curve  in  the  river," 
observes  Josiah  Quincy,  who  visited  the  city  a  few  days  be- 
fore the  Prophet's  death,  "enclosed  a  position  lovely  enough 
to  furnish  a  site  for  the  Utopian  communities  of  Plato  or  Sir 
Thomas  More,  and  here  was  an  orderly  city,  magnificently 
laid  out,  and  teeming  with  activity  and  enterprise."  A  great 
community  had  here  reared  "handsome  stores  and  comfort- 
able dwellings,"  with  a  temple — "a  wonderful  structure" — 
under  way  on  the  brow  of  the  elevation  which  overlooked 
the  city.  The  fame  of  Nauvoo  went  abroad,  and  tourists 
came  from  all  parts  of  America  and  from  Europe  to  see  the 
marvels  that  the  "Mormon"  Prophet  and  his  people  had 
wrought.  And  that  work  had  indeed  been  nothing  short  of 
miraculous.  That  a  few  thousand  people,  straggling  into 
Illinois  in  1839,  homeless  and  without  property,  fleeing  from 
the  enraged  feelings  of  their  old-time  neighbors  across  the 
borders,  should  in  so  brief  a  period  have  built  up  such  a  city 
and  such  a  community  as  Nauvoo  was  at  this  time,  is  surely 
one  of  the  great  material  enterprises  of  a  great  industrial 
age.    It  was  a  veritable  rising  from  the  ashes. 

Having  thus  given  a  general  idea  of  the  growth  of  Nau- 
voo, we  may  now  project  upon  this  background  the  various 
scenes  of  activity  to  which  this  famous  city  was  a  witness. 


CHAPTER  II 


ACROSS  THE  GREAT  WATERS 


First,  however,  it  will  be  necessary  to  speak  of  two  im- 
portant missions  that  were  taken  into  foreign  countries  by 
members  of  the  Twelve — one  to  Jerusalem,  in  Palestine,  and 
another  to  England. 

The  Return  of  Israel. 

Probably  no  people  who  are  not  themselves  Jews  are  so  much 
concerned  in  the  Jewish  race  as  the  Latter-day  Saints.  In- 
deed, the  fortunes  of  these  two  people  are  very  closely  con- 
nected. This  partly  because  the  latter,  according  to  patri- 
archal blessings,  are  mainly  descended  from  the  tribes  of 
Israel ;  partly  because  of  the  relation  that  will  exist  between 
the  Zion  of  the  New  World  and  the  Zion  of  the  Old  when 
both  are  established.  At  all  events,  the  Saints  have  always 
been  deeply  interested  in  everything  that  is  associated  with 
the  Promised  Land  and  the  wandering  nations  of  Judah. 

At  a  conference  held  at  Commerce  in  April,  1840,  Apostle 
Orson  Hyde  was  appointed  to  a  mission  to  Palestine.  What 
first  led  to  this,  most  likely,  was  a  vision  he  once  had,  in 
which  he  saw  himself  standing  on  the  Mount  of  Olives 
pouring  out  blessings  upon  the  land  preparatory  to  the  re- 
turn of  the  Jews,  as  predicted  in  their  Record.  Leaving 
Nauvoo  in  the  middle  of  this  month,  he  journeyed  through 
the  States  "without  purse  and  scrip,''  preaching  by  the  way, 
crossed  the  sea  to  England,  passed  through  Germany,  where 
he  remained  some  time  studying  the  language,  went  thence 
to  Constantinople,  Cairo,  and  Alexandria,  and,  after  endur- 
ing many  hardships,  finally  reached  Jerusalem  in  October, 


"across  the  great  waters"  295 

1841.  He  stood  upon  the  sacred  Mount,  as  he  had  seen  him- 
self in  vision,  and  prayed  that  God  would  remove  the  curse 
from  the  Holy  Land,  and  plant  in  the  hearts  of  the  children 
of  Jacob  a  desire  to  build  up  the  waste  places  of  their  native 
country.  According  to  the  ancient  custom  of  this  people,  he 
erected  a  pile  of  stones  in  witness  of  what  he  had  done.  He 
did  the  same  on  Mount  Zion.  Then  he  returned  to  his  peo- 
ple in  America. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  know  that  when  Elder  Hyde 
performed  this  apostolic  act  of  dedicating  the  land  of  Pales- 
tine, there  were  no  indications  of  what  has  since  become  an 
immense  tide  of  Jewish  immigration  to  their  ancient  home. 
In  1841  there  were  only  a  few  huts  on  the  site  formerly,  oc- 
cupied by  the  City  of  the  Great  King,  whereas  it  has  now 
(1905)  a  population  of  between  sixty  and  seventy  thousand; 
besides  throughout  Palestine  the  Jews  "are  buying  farms  and 
establishing  themselves  in  a  surprisingly  rapid  manner."  The 
Spirit  of  gathering  has  been  poured  out  upon  this  ill-starred 
race,  and  they  are  burning  to  reunite  under  the  banner  of 
their  ancient  name.  It  is  a  curious  fact,  however,  that  they 
do  not,  as  a  rule,  admit  that  they  gather  in  fulfillment  of 
prophecy,  nor  to  prepare  for  any  coming  event ;  but  never- 
theless they  have  been  actuated  by  a  common  impulse  to  re- 
build their  historic  cities  and  possess  once  more  a  govern- 
ment of  their  own.  And  in  this  hope  they  are  aided  mater- 
ially by  some  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  the  world. 

The  English  Mission. 

On  the  8th  of  July,  1838,  while  the  Saints  were  yet  in  Mis- 
souri, there  had  been  given  a  revelation  (section  118)  to  the 
Prophet  which,  in  addition  to  calling  Elders  Taylor,  Page, 
Woodruff,  and  Richards  to  the  apostleship,  requested  the 
Twelve  to  depart  next  spring  "over  the  great  waters"  to 
promulgate  the  gospel,  taking  "leave  of  my  Saints  in  the  city 


296  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

Far  West,  on  the  26th  day  of  April  next,  on  the  building: 
spot  of  my  house,  saith  the  Lord." 

But  by  "April  next"  nearly  all  the  Saints  had  been  driven 
from  Missouri,  and  the  Prophet  Joseph  was  languishing, 
with  many  of  his  brethren,  in  a  dungeon.  Some  of  the 
Twelve  felt,  therefore,  that  the  untoward  circumstances  in 
which  the  people  were  thrown  did  away  with  the  necessity 
of  fulfilling  this  word  of  prophecy.  But  the  majority  said, 
"It  is  a  revelation  of  God,  and  must  be  obeyed."  The  mob, 
however,  kept  informed,  by  apostates,  of  the  "secrets"  of  the 
"Mormons,"  swore  that  if  every  other  prediction  of  "old 
Joe  Smith's"  should  be  fulfilled,  they  would  see  that  this  one 
failed,  for  it  had  place  and  date  specified.  Nevertheless. 
Elders  Young,  Kimball,  Orson  Pratt,  Taylor,  Page,  Wood- 
ruff, and  George  A.  Smith,  taking  different  roads,  met  with 
a  few  Saints  at  Far  West,  while  the  mob  were  quietly  sleep- 
ing away  the  early  morning  hours.  Thirty-one  persons  were 
excommunicated  from  the  Church,  the  foundation  of  the 
Lord's  house  "was  recommenced,"  Elders  Woodruff  and 
Smith  were  ordained  to  the  apostleship,  the  apostles,  in  turn, 
offered  up  "vocal  prayer,"  and  after  singing  "Adam-ondi- 
Ahman,"  they  took  leave  of  the  Saints,  "according  to  the 
revelation !" 

But  they  only  left  Far  West  on  this  occasion.  There 
was  too  much  going  on  beyond  the  Mississippi  for  them  to 
depart  immediately  for  Europe.  As  soon,  however,  as  pos- 
sible— nay,  before  less  courageous  and  faithful  men  would 
have  thought  it  possible — they  were  on  their  way  to  a  for- 
eign nation  to  preach  the  gospel. 

On  the  first  day  of  July,  1839,  the  First  Presidency  held 
a  meeting  at  Brigham  Young's  house  in  Montrose,  which 
was  attended  by  nine  of  the  apostles.  Here  the  outgoing 
missionaries  were  blessed,  as  were  also  the  wives  of  some  of 
them.     Joseph  gave   the  brethren   some  words   of  advice, 


"across  the  great -waters  297 

which  are  worth  quoting  both  for  their  inherent  value 
and  also  for  the  light  they  throw  upon  his  character.  "Ever 
keep  in  exercise,"  he  says,  "the  principle  of  mercy,  and  be 
ready  to  forgive  on  the  first  intimation  of  repentance  and 
desire  for  forgiveness ;  then  our  Heavenly  Father  will  be 
equally  merciful  unto  us."  After  advising  them  to  be  hum- 
ble so  that  they  might  be  strong,  he  went  on  to  say,  "Act 
honestly  before  God  and  man ;  beware  of  sophistry,  such  as 
bowing  and  scraping  unto  men  in  whom  you  have  no  confi- 
dence. Be  honest,  open,  and  frank  in  all  your  intercourse 
with  mankind."  As  a  key  to  the  Saints  generally,  as  well  as 
to  these  few  missionaries,  "in  all  their  trials,  troubles,  tempta- 
tions, afflictions,  bonds,  imprisonment,  and  death,"  he  gave 
the  following:  "See  to  it  that  you  do  not  betray  Jesus 
Christ,  that  you  do  not  betray  the  revelations  of  God, 
whether  in  the  Bible,  Book  of  Mormon,  or  Doctrine  and 
Covenants,  or  any  of  the  words  of  God,  lest  innocent  blood 
be  found  upon  your  skirts,  and  you  go  down  to  hell !"  And 
these  noble  words,  let  it  be  remembered  by  those  who  would 
interpret  his  great  soul,  were  uttered  in  a  private  council  of 
twelve  men,  and  written  down  by  one  of  them  immediately 
afterwards,  but  not  published  till  many  years  later. 

Apostles  Woodruff  and  Taylor  were  the  first  to  leave 
Nauvoo  for  their  mission.  It  was  on  the  8th  of  August, 
1839,  at  the  very  time  when  the  Saints  were  strenuously  en- 
deavoring to  wrest  from  the  marshes  of  Commerce  sufficient 
health  and  vitality  to  build  a  home.  Wilford  was  suffering 
with  the  ague,  which  attacked  him  every  alternate  day. 
Nevertheless,  he  bade  farewell  to  his  beloved  wife  and  started 
on  his  way  to  Europe,  "looking  more  like  a  subject  for  a  dis- 
secting room  than  a  missionary."  Elder  Taylor  was  physically 
well,  but  agitated  by  reflections  concerning  the  separation 
from  his  family.  "The  thought  of  the  hardships  they  had 
just  endured,"  he  says,  "the  uncertainty  of  their  continuing 


298  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

in  the  house  they  then  occupied,  the  prevalence  of  disease, 
the  poverty  of  the  brethren,  their  insecurity  from  mobs,  to- 
gether with  the  uncertainty  of  what  might  take  place  during 
my  absence,  produced  feelings  of  no  ordinary  character."  On 
the  skirts  of  the  new  settlement  at  Commerce,  they  came 
upon  Parley  P.  Pratt,  stripped  of  hat,  coat  and  vest,  shoes 
and  stockings,  hewing  logs  for  a  house.  Having  no  money, 
he  gave  them  a  purse.  Presently  they  drove  up  to  Heber  C. 
Kimball,  who  was  at  the  same  work,  and  in  much  the  same 
dress — or  rather  undress — who  gave  them  a  dollar,  to  put 
into  their  purse.  At  Indianapolis,  Elder  Taylor  was  taken 
violently  ill,  and  was  compelled  to  remain  at  Germantown, 
Indiana,  for  two  or  three  weeks ;  while  Elder  Woodruff,  still 
suffering  almost  daily  attacks  from  chills  and  fever,  pro- 
ceeded on  his  way.     He  reached  New  York  November  8th. 

A  few  days  after  the  departure  of  these  two  brethren, 
Apostles  Parley  P.  and  Orson  Pratt  left  Nauvoo,  " journey- 
ing," says  the  former,  "in  our  own  private  carriage,  drawn 
by  two  horses !"  At  Philadelphia,  they  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  President  Smith,  who  was  then  on  his  way  to  Wash- 
ington to  lay  before  the  national  authorities  the  Missouri 
troubles.  At  this  city,  Parley  P.  Pratt  had  many  conversa- 
tions with  the  Prophet,  of  which  the  marriage  relation  was 
the  chief  topic.  "It  was  from  him,"  the  apostle  says,  speak- 
ing of  this  time,  "that  I  learned  that  the  wife  of  my  bosom 
might  be  secured  to  me  for  time  and  eternity ;  and  that  the 
refined  sympathies  and  affections  which  endeared  us  to  each 
other  emanated  from  the  fountain  of  divine  eternal  love.  It 
was  from  him  that  I  learned  that  we  might  cultivate  these 
affections,  and  grow  and  increase  in  the  same  to  all  eternity ; 
while  the  result  of  our  endless  union  would  be  an  offspring 
as  numerous  as  the  stars  of  heaven,  or  the  sands  of  the  sea 
shore." 

While  they  were  here,  meetings  were  held  by  the  Prophet, 


"across  the  great  waters"  299 

Sidney  Rigdon,  and  Elder  Pratt,  at  one  of  which  Joseph 
spoke  in  such  a  powerful  manner  as  to  draw  the  follow- 
ing comment  from  Parley:  When  Sidney  was  through 
speaking,  "Joseph  arose  like  a  lion  about  to  roar ;  and  being 
full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  spoke  in  great  power,  bearing  testi- 
mony of  the  visions  he  had  seen,  the  ministering  of  angels 
which  he  had  enjoyed;  and  how  he  had  found  the  plates  of 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  translated  them  by  the  gift  and 
power  of  God."  A  profound  impression  was  made  by  this 
sermon,  on  the  large  congregation.  They  were  "astonished, 
electrified,  as  it  were,  and  overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of  the 
truth"  which  the  inspired  preacher  had  uttered.  A  great 
many  people  were  baptized  in  Philadelphia  and  vicinity,  and 
branches  established,  chiefly  through  the  labors  of  an  elder 
named  Winchester.  This  circumstance  is  worthy  of  note  as 
indicating  the  force  and  earnestness  of  the  Prophet's  words 
and  presence. 

It  was  not  till  the  middle  of  September  that  Apostles 
Brigham  Young  and  Heber  C.  Kimball  began  their  journey. 
Both  were  weak  and  emaciated  with  sickness.  The  former 
had  not  strength  enough  to  walk  the  few  rods  from  his  house 
to  the  ferry-boat,  and  when  he  reached  Heber  C.'s  house, 
over  the  river,  he  lay  there  prostrate  for  several  days.  His 
wife  and  children  were  sick,  like  himself,  and  had  little  to 
keep  them  during  the  absence  of  their  father  and  husband. 
Brother  Kimball's  family,  also,  were  "down  with  the  fever." 
His  wife  was  prostrate  on  her  bed,  and  the  only  well  child 
was  the  junior  Heber  who  could  "with  difficulty,"  carry  a 
small  bucket  of  water  to  quench  the  others'  burning  thirst. 
But  these  brethren  bade  farewell  to  their  families  in  this 
condition  and  began  their  dismal  journey  towards  New 
York.  At  Quincy  they  were  compelled  to  stay  for  a  few 
days  on  account  of  their  physical  condition.     By  the  most 


300  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

singular  makeshifts  they  managed  to  reach  Richmond,  In- 
diana. 

"When  we  arrived  here,"  says  Heber's  journal,  "we  had 
means  to  take  us  to  Dayton,  to  which  place  we  proceeded  and 
tarried  over  night,  waiting  for  another  line  of  stages.  We 
expected  to  stop  here  and  preach  until  we  got  means  to  pur- 
sue our  journey.  Brother  Brigham  went  to  his  trunk  to  get 
money  to  pay  the  bill,  and  found  we  had  sufficient  to  pay  our 
passage  to  Columbus,  to  which  place  we  took  passage  in  the 
stage  and  tarried  over  night.  When  he  paid  the  bill  he 
found  he  had  sufficient  means  to  pay  our  passage  to  Wor- 
cester. We  tarried  till  the  afterpart  of  the  day  and  then 
took  passage  to  Worcester.  When  we  arrived  there,  Brother 
Brigham  went  to  his  trunk  again  to  get  money  to  pay  our 
bill,  and  found  sufficient  to  pay  our  passages  to  Cleveland." 
Out  of  thirteen  and  a  half  dollars  that  they  had  when  they 
left  Pleasant  Garden,  beyond  Richmond,  they  found  on  look- 
ing over  their  expenses,  that  they  had  paid  out  over  eighty- 
seven  dollars!  "Brother  Brigham,"  declares  Heber,  "often 
suspected  that  I  put  the  money  in  his  trunk  or  clothes ;  think- 
ing that  I  had  a  purse  of  money  which  I  had  not  acquainted 
him  with.  But  this  was  not  so ;  the  money  could  only  have 
been  put  in  his  trunk  by  some  heavenly  messenger,  who  thus 
administered  to  our  necessities  daily  as  he  knew  we  needed." 

Apostles  George  A.  Smith,  who,  with  Ruben  Hedlock  and 
Theodore  Turley,  left  about  the  same  time  as  Elders  Young 
and  Kimball,  had  an  equally  heroic  struggle  with  disease.  As 
the  three  brethren  were  journeying  painfully  along,  their 
wagon  upset,  tipping  them  down  the  river  bank.  Elders 
Smith  and  Turley  were  actually  too  weak  to  rise,  and  had  to 
be  helped  by  their  companion  who  was  a  trifle  stronger. 
They  pursued  their  way  once  again.  A  passer  by,  with  cruel 
humor,  asked  the  driver  if  he  had  been  robbing  a  graveyard ! 


"across  the  great  waters"  33! 

But  he  replied  that  they  were  only  "Mormon"  elders  on  their 
way  to  Europe  to  preach  the  gospel. 

Arriving  at  New  York,  all  of  the  apostles  remained  there 
some  time  doing  missionary  work,  before  going  over  the  sea. 
Elders  Taylor,  Woodruff,  and  Turley  embarked  on  Decem- 
ber 19th,  1839,  the  rest  following  three  months  later. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  April,  1838,  Heber  C.  Kim- 
ball, Orson  Hyde,  and  Isaac  Russell  had  sailed  from  Eng- 
land after  an  eight  months'  mission  there,  leaving  the  work 
in  charge  of  Joseph  Fielding,  Willard  Richards,  and  Wil- 
liam Clayton.  What  had  these  brethren  been  doing  be- 
tween this  time  and  the  arrival  of  the  apostles  in  1840? 
Elder  Clayton  had  gone  to  Manchester  and  in  course  of  a 
few  months  "raised  up"  there  a  large  and  flourishing  branch; 
Elders  Mulliner  and  Wright  had  opened  up  the  work  in 
Scotland ;  while  the  branches  in  and  around  Preston  had  re- 
ceived large  additions.  But  some  opposition  had  manifested 
itself.  A  sister — Alice  Hodgin — had  died  at  Preston  ;  where- 
upon Elder  Richards  was  arrested  for  "killing  and  slaying 
the  said  Alice  with  a  black  stick."  When,  however,  during 
the  trial,  it  appeared  that  his  accusers'  bad  character  would 
be  laid  bare,  he  was  summarily  dismissed. 

On  the  14th  of  April,  1840,  a  council  of  the  apostles 
was  held  at  Preston,  at  which  Willard  Richards,  who  had 
been  called  to  the  apostleship  by  revelation,  was  ordained  a 
member  of  that  quorum.  Next  day  a  conference  was  held  at 
the  same  place.  There  were  present  eight  of  the  twelve 
apostles — Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Parley  P. 
Pratt,  Orson  Pratt,  John  Taylor,  Wilford  Woodruff,  George 
A.  Smith,  and  Willard  Richards.  On  this  occasion,  it  was 
decided  to  publish  a  monthly  periodical  to  be  called  The  Lat- 
ter-day Saints'  Millennial  Star,  with  Parley  P.  Pratt  as 
editor.  A  committee,  consisting  of  Elders  Young,  Parley  P. 
Pratt,  and  Taylor,  was  appointed  to  make  a  selection  of 


302  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

hymns.  Another  committee,  composed  of  Elders  Young, 
Kimball,  and  Parley  P.  Pratt,  was  named  to  publish  an  edi- 
tion of  the  Book  of  Mormon.  The  conference  was  in  session 
three  days. 

And  now  the  American  missionaries  separated.  Elder 
Heber  C.  Kimball  was  appointed  to  visit  the  branches  which 
he  had  been  instrumental  in  establishing  on  his  first  mission 
here,  Orson  Pratt  to  labor  in  Scotland,  John  Taylor  to  con- 
tinue at  Liverpool ;  Parley  P.  Pratt  to  edit  the  Star;  George 
A.  Smith  to  the  Potteries;  Wilford  Woodruff,  Brigham 
Young,  and  Willard  Richards  to  Herefordshire. 

To  follow  these  brethren  into  their  respective  fields  of 
labor  would  require  too  much  space  in  a  general  work  on  the 
history  of  the  Church,  though  such  a  detailed  study  would 
prove  exceptionally  interesting  no  less  than  instructive.  But 
we  may  indicate  some  of  the  results  accomplished  by  them  in 
their  various  conferences. 

At  Liverpool  Elder  Taylor  did  a  good  work.  By  the  time 
the  second  group  of  elders  arrived  he  had  baptized  about 
thirty  persons,  and  this  number  soon  increased  to  more  than 
one  hundred.  He  also  preached  the  gospel  in  Ireland  and 
the  Isle  of  Man,  where  it  had  never  been  proclaimed  before 
in  this  dispensation.  Not  many  were  brought  into  the  fold 
at  these  latter  places. 

The  London  conference  was  organized  during  this  time  by 
Apostles  Kimball,  Woodruff,  and  Smith.  It  was  a  long 
time  before  they  could  get  an  opening,  on  account  of  the 
prejudice  of  sectarian  preachers.  Elder  Kimball  had  come 
here  from  his  labors  with  the  Saints  at  Preston  and  vicinity, 
Elder  Woodruff  from  his  successful  work  in  Herefordshire, 
and  Elder  Smith  from  his  field  at  the  Potteries.  So  they  had 
each  had  experience  that  stood  them  well  in  hand.  President 
Young  also  came  here  and  labored  for  a  week  or  ten  days. 
But  the  ice  was  broken,  as  Heber  declared,  after  having 


"across  the  great  waters"  303 

preached  to  a  large  crowd  in  the  streets  one  afternoon  with 
great  success.  Then,  too,  a  sufficient  evidence  that  there 
were  many  souls  that  would  embrace  the  truth  in  the  great 
metropolis  was  given  them  in  the  experience  which  Apostle 
Woodruff  and  later  Elder  Lorenzo  Snow  had  with  evil  spirits 
— an  experience  very  similar  to  that  which  Elders  Kimball 
and  Hyde  went  through  when  the  work  at  Preston  was  first 
begun.  Upon  the  departure  of  the  apostles  from  London, 
Elder  Snow  was  put  in  charge  of  the  conference,  and  shortly 
afterwards  he  reported  a  membership  of  more  than  four 
hundred.  So  that  "Mor'monism"  was  pretty  well  established 
there.  ,; 

The  greatest  success,  however,  had  attended  the  labors 
of  Elder  Woodruff.  He  had  gone  to  Herefordshire  by  direct 
command  of  the  Lord,  almost  as  soon  as  he  had  landed, 
which  was  in  January,  three  months  before  the  second  group- 
of  missionaries  arrived.  There  he  found  a  society  called  the 
"LTnited  Brethren,"  a  body  of  about  six  hundred  persons,  in- 
cluding forty-five  preachers,  that  had  broken  away  from  one 
of  the  Methodist  branches.  They  were  waiting,  they  said, 
for  the  true  Church,  which  they  firmly  believed  would  come 
to  them.  So  great  was  the  desire  to  hear  the  new  preacher 
from  America  that  the  churches  in  the  neighborhood  were 
empty  of  a  Sunday.  One  rector  in  the  vicinity  of  Hill  Farm 
sent  a  constable  to  arrest  Elder  Woodruff  for  preaching. 
But  the  officer  was  converted  at  the  meeting,  and,  returning,, 
told  the  minister  that  he  would  have  to  get  some  one  else  to 
serve  the  warrant.  Then  the  rector  sent  two  clerks  of  the 
parish,  as  spies,  to  attend  the  meetings  held  by  the  apostle. 
"But  they  were  pricked  in  their  hearts  and  received  the  word 
of  the  Lord  gladly."  As  a  last  resort,  the  angry  clergyman 
sent  for  advice  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  for  the 
"Mormons"  had,  he  declared,  turned  fifteen  hundred  per- 
sons away  from  the  Church  of  England.    That  ecclesiastical 


304  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

dignity,  however,  counseled  the  rector  to  pay  more  atten- 
tion to  the  saving  of  souls  and  less  to  the  ground  where  the 
foxes,  hares,  and  hounds  were  wont  to  run.  And  Elder 
Woodruff,  meantime,  continued  his  good  work  of  baptizing 
the  people  and  organizing  them  into  branches.  During  the 
eight  months  that  he  labored  in  this  district,  he  baptized 
more  than  eighteen  hundred  persons,  including  all  the  six 
hundred  United  Brethren  except  one  person.  Among  these 
converts  were  some  two  hundred  preachers  of  various  de- 
nominations. "The  whole  history  of  this  Herefordshire 
mission,"  declares  this  man  of  the  simple  life,  "shows  the 
importance  of  listening  to  the  still,  small  voice  of  the  Spirit 
of  God."* 

This  was  a  great  mission  that  these  eight  apostles  per- 
formed. An  edition  of  five  thousand  copies  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon  had  been  published,  an  edition  of  three  thousand 
hymn  books,  the  Millennial  Star  had  been  established,  fifty 
thousand  tracts  printed  and  distributed,  a  permanent  emigra- 
tion agency  provided  for,  one  thousand  souls  had  gathered  to 
Zion,  and  between  seven  and  eight  thousand  persons  brought 
into  the  Church ! 

On  the  20th  of  April,  1841,  Brigham  Young,  Heber  C. 
Kimball,  Orson  Pratt,  John  Taylor,  Wilford  Woodruff, 
George  A.  Smith,  and  Willard  Richards  embarked  for  home 
on  the  ship  Rochester,  leaving  Elder  Parley  P.  Pratt  to  edit 
the  Star,  and  to  preside  over  the  British  mission. 


*For  a  complete  account  of  this  remarkable  missionary 
work  by  Elder  Woodruff,  see  his  "Leaves  from  My  Journal." 
Deseret   S.   S.   Union   Book   Store,  Salt  Lake  City. 


CHAPTER  III 


A   LULL  IN   THE  STORM 


With  the  exception  of  attempts  on  the  part  of  Missouri 
to  entrap  the  Prophet,  and  a  bit  of  archtreachery  that  oc- 
curred at  Nauvoo,  the  years  lying  between  1839  and  1844 
were  a  period  of  singular  peace  and  prosperity  for  the  body 
of  the  Church.  They  purchased  land  and  built  thereon  some 
comfortable,  even  beautiful  residences;  they  had  a  thriving 
city  which  was  fast  becoming  famous ;  they  enjoyed  the  good 
will,  if  not  the  confidence,  of  the  leading  men  of  the  state ; 
and  an  uninterrupted  stream  of  immigration  increased  their 
population  beyond  their  hitherto  fondest  dreams.  Hence  it 
is  that  we  have  here  some  important  spiritual  events  to 
chronicle. 

A  Great  Thought-Period. 

If  the  doctrines  of  "Mormonism"  were  examined  with  a  view 
to  classifying  them  on  the  basis  of  their  importance,  it  would 
be  found  that  there  is  no  principle,  really  fundamental  in  its 
character,  but  was  revealed  through  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith.  And  of  those  basic  truths  it  is  doubtful  whether  a 
single  one  could  be  pointed  out  that  was  not  either  first  made 
known  during  this  Nauvoo  period  of  our  history  or  developed 
at  this  time  from  hints  previously  given.  Accordingly,  any 
one  who  studies  carefully  this  stage  of  the  Restoration  will 
be  struck  with  the  fact  that  it  is  pre-eminently  a  thought- 
period,  rather  than  one  of  outward  activity. 

Nor  need  we  be  at  all  surprised  at  this.     Joseph  stands 
at  the  head  of  this  dispensation,  as  Adam  stands  in  the  fore- 


•306  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS    OF    MORMONISM 

front  of  the  human  race.  And  he  was  singularly  spiritual 
in  his  nature,  statements  to  the  contrary  by  his  enemies  not- 
withstanding. Not,  of  course,  in  the  sense  that  Swenborg  or 
even  Emerson  was,  whose  ideas  were  too  subtle  and  specu- 
lative to  be  of  great  use  to  the  multitude ;  but  spiritual  in  the 
sense  that  he  could  grasp  the  fundamentals  of  the  theolog- 
ical-science. And  that  these  larger  truths  should  either  come 
to  him  or  be  made  clearer  and  more  practical  during  this 
period  of  his  life,  is  not  astonishing  considering  the  external 
fortunes  of  the  Church  in  this  and  in  the  preceding  epochs. 

In  1820  was  given  the  great  vision  of  the  Father  and  the 
Son  from  which  some  very  obvious  inferences  might  have 
been  drawn  concerning  the  personality  of  God  and  the  na- 
ture of  the  Godhead.  But  on  account  of  Joseph's  lack  of 
acquaintance  with  the  false  dogmas  of  the  world,  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  these  facts  were  greatly  impressed  on  his  mind  at 
the  time.  At  all  events,  they  do  not  appear  to  have  taken 
definite  shape  as  doctrines  till  long  afterwards.  Moroni's 
numerous  appearings  from  1823  to  1829  put  him  in  posses- 
sion of  some  important  facts  respecting  angels  and  their 
relation  to  man.  Then,  the  appearing  of  Moses,  Elias,  and 
Elijah  to  him  in  the  Kirtland  temple  gave  him  an  insight 
into  the  purposes  of  God  with  respect  to  the  race  as  a  whole. 
And  so  on,  till  we  reach  the  limit  of  his  revelations  up  to  the 
period  we  are  now  considering.  These  were  all  more  or  less 
germs  out  of  which  were  to  grow  some  important  develop- 
ments;  but  in  this  Nauvoo  period  we  see  "Mormonism"  al- 
most suddenly  rise  up  into  a  sublime  system  of  practical  phil- 
osophy, if  we  may  use  the  expression.  Attention  tp  the 
facts  in  the  case  will  show  that  we  have  not  overstated  the 
point. 

The  Working  Hypothesis. 

Beyond   all   cavil,   the   central   idea   of   "Mormonism" — its 


A   LULL   IN  THE  STORM  307 

working  hypothesis — is  the  doctrine  that  man  is  an  eternal 
being,  as  to  his  essence,  capable  of  eternal  progression.  A 
grand  and  luminous  thought  this,  throwing  into  its  proper 
relative  position  every  truth  that  God  has,  at  various  times 
and  in  different  ways,  made  known  to  his  erring  creatures. 
"The  intelligence  of  spirits  is  immortal ;  it  had  no  beginning, 
neither  will  it  have  an  end ;"  is  the  doctrine  of  the  great 
Prophet.  'There  never  was  a  time  when  there  were  not 
spirits,  [intelligences]  for  they  are  co-eternal  with  our  Father 
in  heaven."  And  at  another  time,  he  declared,  "God  him- 
self was  once  as  we  are  now,  and  is  an  exalted  man."  How 
soul-withering,  by  comparison,  are  the  dogmas  of  false 
teachers  respecting  man  and  his  destiny,  which  makes  him 
a  mean,  miserable  sinner!  Sinner,  he  doubtless  is,  but  not 
mean  and  miserable,  unless  he  choose  to  make  himself  so. 
As  Darwin,  the  great  scientist,  spent  the  best  part  of  his 
manhood  in  collecting  and  arranging  data  about  plants  and 
animals,  which  obstinately  refused  to  be  classified  and  ex- 
plained by  systems  then  approved,  but  which  fell  at  once 
into  harmony  and  order  when  the  single  luminous  idea  of 
"natural  selection"  was  brought  to  bear  upon  them ;  so,  in 
like  manner,  man  had  for  centuries  been  gathering  facts  con- 
cerning himself,  his  origin,  his  destiny,  and  his  present  state, 
which  seemed  to  have  no  common  bearing,  no  exact  relation 
to  one  another,  till  the  modern  Seer  cast  upon  them  the  light 
of  the  new  thought  of  "eternal  progression,"  when  each 
took  its  place  in  one  grand,  united  whole.  And  as  the  Phil- 
osopher remembered  with  ecstacy  the  precise  time  and  place 
that  he  received  the  key-thought  of  biological  science,  so 
mankind  will  one  day  call  to  mind  with  delight  the  Prophet, 
and  revere  his  name,  who  first  gave  them  the  idea  which 
throws  into  their  lives  a  new  impulse  towards  truth. 

Round  this  central  idea  cluster  in  beautiful  harmony  all 
the  great  truths  of  "Mormonism."    The  object  of  man's  ex- 


308  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

istence  is  that  he  might  become  like  the  Creator,  the  Father 
of  his  spirit.  To  attain  this  end,  he  was  given  a  tabernacle 
of  flesh,  the  material  was  joined  with  the  spiritual  in  the 
''fall"  of  man ;  for  without  this  union,  says  a  revelation, 
perfection  is  impossible.  The  experience  he  gains  in  mortal- 
ity is  necessary  to  his  exaltation,  and  it  is  a  fatal  mistake  to 
avoid  this  means  of  growth.  His  home  is  here  on  the  earth, 
which  will  be  purified  and  made  like  a  urim  and  thummim, 
not  up  somewhere  in  the  region  of  the  clouds  singing  an- 
thems forever  and  fingering  harps.  Perfection  will  come 
only  through  obedience  to  law,  whether  divine  or  so-called 
"natural."  Some  of  these  are  contained  in  the  Bible,  which 
is  to  be  interpreted  by  the  simplest  of  all  rules :  "Just  no  ^n" 
terpretation  at  all ;  understand  it  exactly  as  it  reads."  Man 
must  have  faith  in  God,  in  Christ,  and  in  the  laws  which  are 
given  for  his  salvation ;  he  must  repent  of  his  sins,  which 
includes  a  sinning  no  more ;  he  must  have  those  sins  washed 
away  in  the  waters  of  baptism  by  immersion ;  then  he  must 
receive  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  imposition  of  hands  by  those 
holding  divine  commission.  He  must  not  lie,  steal,  com- 
mit adultery  or  murder ;  or,  in  short,  do  anything  contrary  to 
the  law  of  conscience  and  of  God.  Marriage  is  obligatory, 
and  the  rearing  of  children ;  for  the  greater  his  posterity, 
other  things  being  equal,  the  greater  his  glory  and  power; 
for  which  reason  plurality  of  wives  is  a  higher  law  than 
monogamy.  If,  as  may  happen,  man  does  not  hear  the  gos- 
pel while  he  is  in  the  flesh,  he  will  have  the  privilege  of 
hearing  it  in  the  spirit  world,  the  ordinances  being  per- 
formed for  him  vicariously  by  men  on  the  earth.  Christ  died 
for  the  sins  of  mankind,  and  is  the  mediator  between  God 
and  man ;  and  only  through  his  name  can  individuals  be 
saved.  The  resurrection  from  the  dead  will  reunite  the  spirit 
and  the  body,  which  were  separated  in  death ;  after  which 
"the  meek  shall  inherit  the  earth,"  cleansed  from  sin.    And 


A  LULL  IN  THE  STORM  309 

the  righteous  will  go  on  progressing  in  knowledge  and  power 
and  glory  throughout  all  the  ages  of  eternity. 

Most  of  these  great  truths  were  revealed  to  the  Prophet 
at  this  time ;  but  all  of  them  during  the  fourteen  years  he 
was  permitted  to  lead  the  Church.  What  a  time  of  joy, 
therefore,  must  the  Saints  at  Nauvoo  have  had  as  they  sat  at 
the  feet  of  this  great  man  as,  under  the  light  of  heavenly  in- 
spiration, he  unfolded  principle  after  principle  of  eternal 
life. 

"The  Hearts  of  the  Fathers." 

During  the  last  years  of  the  Prophet,  it  seems,  the  chief 
thought  in  his  mind  was  salvation  for  the  dead.  He  endeav- 
ored to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  the  Saints  the  necessity  of 
being  baptized  for  those  who,  unbaptized,  had  gone  behind 
the  veil,  for  only  thus  could  they  be  "saviors  on  Mount 
Zion."  In  connection  with  this  subject  was  the  matter  of 
performing  some  of  the  sacred  ordinances  pertaining  to  the 
living. 

In  order  the  better  to  carry  out  the  purposes  of  the  Lord 
in  relation  to  these  holy  rites  and  ceremonies,  the  people 
were  commanded  to  build  a  temple  at  Nauvoo.  "There  is 
not  a  place  found  on  earth,"  declared  this  revelation  (section 
124)  "that  He  may  come  and  restore  that  which  was  lost, 
even  the  fulness  of  the  priesthood;  for  a  baptismal  font 
there  is  not  upon  the  earth,  that  my  Saints  may  be  baptized 
for  those  who  are  dead.  This  ordinance  belongeth  to  my 
house,  and  cannot  be  acceptable  to  me,  only  in  the  days  of 
your  poverty." 

Immediately,  therefore,  they  began  the  erection  of  a 
magnificent  structure.  The  sight  was  one  of  the  noblest  for 
a  public  building  that  could  be  found  anywhere,  on  the  ele- 
vated part  of  the  city  overlooking  the  country  to  the  west.  A 
building  committee  was  appointed,  plans  were  drawn,  and 


310  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

excavations  made;  so  that  by  April  6ch,  1841,  at  the  time  of 
the  eleventh  general  conference  of  the  Church,  the  corner 
stones  were  laid  with  imposing  ceremonies.  The  southeast 
corner  stone  was  laid  by  the  First  Presidency ;  the  south- 
west stone,  by  the  President  of  the  High  Priesthood ;  the 
northwest,  by  the  High  Council ;  and  the  northeast,  by  the 
Bishops.  From  this  time  on  the  building  progressed  rapidly, 
considering  the  condition  of  the  people  at  the  time,  till  by 
October  6th,  1843,  a  conference  was  held  in  it,  though  of 
course,  it  was  far  from  being  completed.  It  was  not  finished 
till  after  the  Prophet's  death. 

The  temple  was  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet  long, 
eighty-eight  feet  wide,  and  sixty-five  feet  to  the  square. 
From  the  ground  to  the  top  of  the  spire  was  one  hundred 
and  sixty-five  feet.  The  material  was  light  gray  limestone, 
nearly  as  hard  as  marble,  though  there  was  much  wood  in 
the  building.  There  were  thirty  hewn  pilasters — nine  on  each 
side  and  six  on  each  end — the  capitals  of  which,  at  a  height 
of  fifty  feet,  were  suns  with  human  faces  in  bold  relief  two 
and  a  half  feet  broad,  ornamented  with  rays  of  light-waves, 
and  surrounded  by  hands  with  trumpets.  There  weie  two 
stories  in  the  clear.  On  the  west  front  of  the  building  was 
inscribed  in  gold  the  words:  "The  House  of  the  Lord; 
built  by  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 
Holiness  to  the  Lord."  The  total  cost  was  more  than  one 
million  dollars. 


CHAPTER  IV 


MALEVOLENT  ECHOES 


One  would  naturally  suppose  that  the  Missourians,  having 
once  rid  themselves  of  the  obnoxious  "Mormons,"  would 
rest  in  supine  contentment  at  the  prospect  offered  by  their 
long-sought  relief.  But  such  were  not  the  quiescent  ways  of 
those  who  had  accomplished  that  expulsion.  Accordingly, 
the  Saints  had  no  sooner  entered  upon  their  Illinois  pilgrim- 
age than  they  became  aware  that  the  rancorous  feelings  of 
their  inveterate  foe  were  neither  dead  nor  sleeping. 

Kidnappers  at  Work. 

The  first  indication  of  this  lingering  malevolence  was  the 
kidnapping  of  four  "Mormons,"  a  few  miles  above  Quincy, 
by  a  band  of  Missourians  living  at  Tully,  in  Lewis  county. 
No  warrant  was  served,  no  offense  charged  against  them; 
they  were  simply  taken  by  main  force  while  they  were  en- 
gaged in  their  daily  work.  For  a  day  or  two  they  were  kept 
prisoners  in  an  old  log  cabin,  under  constant  threatenings. 
And  when  they  were  brought  out,  it  was  not  to  be  set  on 
trial  according  to  law  nor  to  be  let  go ;  but,  instead,  one  was 
hanged  on  a  tree  by  the  neck  till  he  was  nearly  strangled, 
another  was  cruelly  beaten  till  he  was  half  dead,  and  the 
other  two  were  stripped  of  their  clothing,  lashed  to  a  tree, 
and  left  there  most  of  the  night.  Then  they  were  dismissed 
with  this  characteristically  Missourian  note :  "The  people  of 
Tully,  having  taken  Mr.  Allred,  with  some  others,  and  hav- 
ing examined  into  the  offenses  committed,  find  nothing  to 
justify  his  detention  any  longer,  and  have  released  him." 
This  was  signed  by  W.  H.  Woodward,  who  acted  "by  order 
of  the  committee." 


312  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

This  outrage,  when  the  news  of  it  reached  Nauvoo,  created 
great  indignation.  A  meeting  was  held  and  resolutions 
passed,  in  which  non-"Mormons"  also  took  an  active  part. 
George  Miller  and  Daniel  H.  Wells,  the  latter  a  Gentile, 
waited  on  Governor  Carlin  at  Quincy  and  related  to  him  the 
case  of  the  brethren.  His  Excellency  appeared  to  be  deeply 
moved,  and  his  wife  wept,  at  the  recital.  But  nothing  ever 
came  of  this  meeting  with  the  executive,  except  promises 
and  tears ;  for  his  "enthusiasm"  for  the  "Mormon"  cause  had 
already  waxed  cold. 

"Fugitives" 

In  two  months  more  came  another  evidence  of  Missouri's 
disposition  towards  the  Saints,  in  the  shape  of  a  requisition 
from  Governor  Boggs  of  that  state  on  the  Governor  of  Illi- 
nois for  the  persons  of  Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon,  Lyman 
Wight,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Caleb  Baldwin,  and  Alanson  Brown, 
as  "fugitives  from  justice."  And  the  requisition,  moreover, 
was  readily  granted  by  Governor  Gs^Jin.  But  when  the 
sheriff  came  to  Nauvoo  to  serve  the  warrant,  the  "fugitives" 
could  nowhere  be  found.  The  writ  was  therefore  returned 
and  became  ''dead."  This  last  fact  is  important,  as  we  shall 
presently  see,  for  "thereby  hangs  a  tale." 

Nothing  further  was  heard  of  this  matter  till  June,  1841, 
when  the  Prophet  was  returning  from  Quincy,  whither  he 
had  been  to  accompany  Hyrum  Smith  and  William  Law  on  a 
mission  to  which  they  had  been  called  by  revelation.  At 
Heberlin's  hotel,  about  twenty-eight  miles  from  Nauvoo,  he 
was  overtaken  by  a  posse,  under  the  sheriff  of  Adams  county, 
and  a  Missouri  officer,  and  arrested  on  the  same  charge  that 
had  been  preferred  against  him  on  the  previous  September, 
and,  in  fact,  on  the  same  requisition  that  had  been  made  out 
at  that  time  for  himself  and  five  other  brethren.  Joseph  was 
the  more  astonished  since,  while  visiting  Governor  Carlin  at 


MALEVOLENT  ECHOES  313 

Quincy  only  a  few  hours  before,  he  had  not  received  the 
slightest  hint  of  this  process.  The  party  with  the  Prophet 
returned  to  Quincy,  where  the  prisoner  obtained  a  writ  of 
habeas  corpus  from  the  master  in  chancery,  Charles  A.  War- 
ren. Judge  Stephen  A.  Douglas  appointed  the  hearing  for 
Tuesday,  the  8th  of  June,  at  Monmouth,  in  Warren  county. 
Joseph  was  taken  to  Nauvoo  by  Sheriff  King. 

The  trial  took  place  on  the  Wednesday  following.  The 
blind  and  ignorant  zeal  of  Joseph's  enemies  employed,  at 
their  own  expense,  a  number  of  the  best  attorneys  they  could 
engage,  and  threatened  to  withdraw  their  favor  from  any 
lawyers  who  would  dare  to  defend  the  accused.  Neverthe- 
less, Joseph  secured  the  services  of  Charles  A.  Warren,  Sid- 
ney H.  Little,  O.  H.  Browning,  James  H.  Ralston,  Cyrus 
Walker,  and  Archibald  Williams,  who  rose  above  the  petty 
meanness  of  the  rabble.  The  result  of  the  trial  was  that  the 
Prophet  was  acquitted  on  the  ground  that  the  warrant  on 
which  he  was  arrested,  having  been  returned,  was  dead. 
Judge  Douglas  would  not  go  beyond  this  legal  technicality 
into  the  merits  of  the  case. 

Some  incidents  in  this  arrest  and  trial  should  not  pass 
unnoticed.  While  the  sheriff  was  on  his  way  from  Quincy 
to  Nauvoo  with  his  prisoner,  he  was  taken  very  sick,  but  was 
nursed  carefully  by  the  Prophet  till  he  recovered.  At  Mon- 
mouth, Joseph  was  invited  to  speak  at  the  court  house,  but 
declined,  appointing  Amasa  Lyman  to  preach  in  his  place, 
which  Elder  Lyman  did.  During  the  trial,  the  Judge  or- 
dered the  sheriff  then  in  charge  to  keep  back  the  crowd,  but 
he  neglected  to  do  so  and  was  fined  ten  dollars.  Ordered 
again,  shortly  afterwards  to  send  back  the  spectators,  he  said 
that  he  had  instructed  the  constable  to  do  so,  whereupon 
Judge  Douglas  said:  "Clerk,  add  ten  dollars  to  that  fine." 
The  sheriff  gave  no  further  trouble  after  this.  The  attorneys 
on  the  opposition,  except  two,  treated  the  accused  with  great 


314  ONE    HUNDRED  YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

fairness,  and  Joseph's  lawyers  pleaded  well  his  case.  Brown- 
ing's address  is  especially  remembered.  He  had  seen,  he 
said,  ''the  blood-stained  traces  of  innocent  women  and  chil- 
dren, in  the  dreary  winter,  who  had  traveled  hundreds  of 
miles  barefoot,  through  frost  and  snow,  to  seek  a  refuge 
from  their  savage  pursuers ;"  and  he  dwelt  upon  the  shame 
of  sacrificing  the  Prophet  to  the  "fury"  of  those  who  dwelt 
in  the  "savage  land"  of  Missouri,  "where  none  dared  to  en- 
list in  the  cause  of  justice."  "If  there  was  no  other  voice 
under  heaven,"  he  cried,  "ever  to  be  heard  in  this  cause, 
gladly  would  I  stand  alone,  and  proudly  spend  my  latest 
breath  in  defense  of  an  American  citizen." 

The  "Mormon"  Benedict  Arnold. 

At  this  point  in  our  narrative  it  becomes  necessary  to  relate 
a  circumstance  or  two  that  concerns  a  character  of  whom  we 
have  hitherto  said  little — the  notorious  Dr.  John  C.  Bennett. 
The  first  notice  which  the  Saints  had  of  the  existence  of 
this  man  was  an  offer  he  made  them  to  join  with  "their 
forces"  his  own  "invincible  dragoons,"  of  whom  he  was 
brigadier-general,  and  then  to  march  upon  the  "cowardly 
persecutors  of  this  innocent  people."  The  offer,  of  course, 
was  rejected.  Later,  when  the  "Mormons"  began  settling 
upon  lands  in  and  about  Commerce,  he  manifested  a  desire 
to  embrace  their  fortunes.  In  a  letter  which  he  wrote  the 
Prophet  at  this  time,  he  stated  that  it  would  not  be  necessary 
to  resign  his  military  office  and  that  he  would  continue  to 
practice  his  profession  of  medicine  among  his  new  friends ; 
so  that  the  Saints  "should  have  all  the  benefits  of  his  speak- 
ing power,  and  his  untiring  energies  in  behalf  of  the  good 
and  holy  faith."  And  the  Prophet  had  written  back  that  no 
doubt  the  doctor  would  be  of  great  service  to  the  "Mor- 
mons," and  that,  though  he  devoted  his  time  and  abilities  to 
a  suffering  people,  he  would  insure  himself  of  "that  bless- 


MALEVOLENT  ECHOES  315 

ing  which  maketh  rich  and  addeth  no  sorrow."  "My  general 
invitation  is,"  continued  Joseph's  unenthusiastic  letter,  "let 
all  who  will  come,  come  and  partake  of  the  poverty  of  Nau- 
voo  freely."     Bennett  came  and  was  baptized. 

Though  the  Prophet  had  undoubtedly  entertained  sus- 
picions regarding  the  new  convert's  sincerity  in  joining  the 
Church  under  such  conditions,  the  doctor's  energy,  earnest- 
ness, and  general  helpfulness  largely  overcame  these.  Ben- 
nett was  looked  upon  as  "a  man  of  enterprise,  extensive  ac- 
quirements, and  of  independent  mind,  one  calculated  to  be  of 
great  benefit  to  the  Church."  So  he  was  made  the  first 
mayor  of  Nauvoo,  the  charter  of  whose  new  government  he 
had  been  largely  influential  in  obtaining.  And  he  had  been 
given  other  positions  as  well,  civil  and  military.  In  fact,  so 
useful  did  he  make  himself  that  there  could  be  no  lingering 
doubt  of  his  sincerity.  Joseph  said  of  him  about  this  time, 
"He  is  almost  the  only  man  I  have  around  me  who  can  do 
what  I  want  and  in  the  right  way." 

But  such  was  not  the  real  John  C.  Bennett.  He  was  all 
the  while  acting  a  part.  And  his  true  character  soon  ap- 
peared. 

May  7th,  1842,  was  a  gala  day  at  Nauvoo.  The  Legion 
— two  thousand  troops — was  to  have  a  parade  and  a  sham 
battle.  At  three  o'clock,  General  Law's  command  of  cavalry 
was  to  make  a  descent  upon  that  of  Rich's  infantry.  A  great 
throng  of  spectators  were  there,  including  Judge  Douglas 
and  other  prominent  men  of  the  state.  When  three  o'clock 
arrived  General  Joseph  Smith  and  his  body  guard  were  sta- 
tioned off  by  themselves.  Major-General  Bennett  rode 
up  and  asked  the  Prophet  if  he  would  not  himself  lead  the 
charge  of  the  first  cohort.  But  he  refused.  Would  he  not 
then  stand  in  the  rear  of  the  cavalry  without  his  staff.  But 
A.  P.  Lockwood,  the  commander  of  the  guard,  would  not 
hear  of  it.    And  Bennett  rode  off. 


316  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

"If  General  Bennett's  true  feelings  towards  me  are  not 
manifest  to  the  world  in  a  very  short  time,"  remarked  the 
Prophet  not  long  after  this,  "then  it  may  be  possible  that  the 
gentle  breathings  of  that  Spirit  which  whispered  to  me  on  the 
parade  that  there  was  mischief  in  that  sham  battle,  were 
false;  a  short  time  will  determine  the  point.  Let  John  C. 
Bennett  answer  at  the  day  of  judgment.  Why  did  you  re- 
quest me  to  command  one  of  the  cohorts,  and  also  to  take  my 
position  without  my  staff,  during  the  sham  battle  on  the 
seventh  of  May,  1842,  where  my  life  might  have  been  for- 
feited and  no  man  have  known  who  did  the  deed?" 

And  a  short  time  did  determine  the  point ;  for  that  very 
month  had  not  ended  before  Dr.  Bennett  was  overwhelmed 
by  the  deep  disgrace  of  his  misdeeds.  It  was  learned  that 
he  was  immoral,  that  he  was  plotting  against  the  leading 
men  of  the  Church,  and  that  he  had  a  bad  record  prior  to 
his  connection  with  "Mormonism."  He  resigned  his  office 
as  major  and  Joseph  was  elected  in  his  place.  His  engage- 
ment to  a  young  woman — the  daughter  of  a  respectable 
"Mormon"  in  the  city — was  broken  off  when  it  was  learned 
that  he  was  already  a  husband  and  father;  his  family  was 
then  living  in  McConnellsville,  Ohio.  It  transpired  shortly 
that  he  had  been  "leading  silly  women  captive"  at  Nauvoo, 
not  one  but  several,  having  persuaded  them  that  promiscuous 
intercourse  of  the  sexes  was  taught  privately  by  the  Prophet. 
In  this  same  guilt  Francis  M.  and  Chauncey  L.  Higbee  were 
also  involved.  When  these  things  came  to  light,  Bennett  at- 
tempted suicide,  but  was  rescued  from  death  in  spite  of  him- 
self. He  was  about  to  be  excommunicated  from  the  Church, 
but  action  was  postponed  because  he  begged  so  piteously 
that  his  mother  might  be  spared  the  shock  of  his  disgrace. 

"Doctor,"  said  Joseph  to  him  one  day,  in  the  presence  of 
Squire  Wells,  "I  can  sustain  you  no  longer.  Hyrum  is 
against  you,  the  Twelve  are  against  you,  and  if  I  do  not 


MALEVOLENT   ECHOES  317 

come  out  against  sin  and  iniquity,  I  shall  myself  be  trodden 
under  foot  as  a  Prophet  of  God."  This  was  fatal  to  Ben- 
nett's influence,  and  also  to  his  ambition  to  be  a  legislative 
representative  from  Hancock  county,  which  office  he  was 
then  aspiring  to. 

In  the  city  council  he  declared  that  Joseph  had  not  "either 
in  public  or  private"  given  him  any  "authority  or  license" 
to  "hold  illicit  intercourse  with  women." 

"Will  you  state  definitely,"  asked  Joseph,  "whether  you 
know  anything  against  my  character,  either  in  public  or 
private  ?" 

"I  do  not,"  was  his  answer.  "In  all  my  intercourse  with 
General  Smith,  in  public  and  in  private,  he  has  been  strictly 
virtuous." 

This  same  statement  he  made  subsequently  in  an  affidavit 
before  Justice  Wells.  Meantime,  he  professed  great  repent- 
ance, hoping  that  "the  time  would  soon  come  when  he  might 
be  restored  to  full  confidence  and  fellowship"  in  the  Church. 
"Should  the  time  ever  come,"  he  said,  "that  I  may  have 
the  opportunity  to  test  my  faith,  it  will  then  be  known 
whether  I  am  a  traitor  or  a  true  man." 

That  time  came,  and  proved  him  traitor  to  the  bone.  For 
he  precipitately  left  Nauvoo  shortly  after  this,  joined  hands 
with  the  old  anti-"Mormon"  foe  across  the  river,  and  re- 
peated the  worst  things  he  had  even  been  wicked  enough  to 
say  against  the  Prophet.  He  was  confronted  with  his  affi- 
davit; whereupon  he  put  forth  the  characteristic,  theatrical 
plea  that  he  had  made  it  under  duress !  Thereupon  his  en- 
tire conduct,  so  far  as  concerned  the  Saints,  was  exposed  in 
the  Nauvoo  papers.  Those  who  had  been  led  astray  by  his 
wiles  were  tried  and  given  the  alternative  of  repentance  or 
excommunication. 

That  such  was  Bennett's  true  character  is  evident  from 
everything  that  is  known  of  him.  Governor  Ford  in  his  His- 


318  ONE   HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMON  ISM 

tory  of  Illinois  (page  263),  declares:     'This  Bennett  was 
probably  the  greatest  scamp  in  the  western  country.    I  have 
made  particular  inquiries  concerning  him,  and  have  traced 
him  in  several  places  in  which  he  had  lived  before  he  had 
joined  the  Mormons,  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois,  and  he 
was  everywhere  accounted  the  same  debauched,  unprincipled, 
and  profligate  character."     Dr.  Alexander  Wilder,  in  his 
History  of  Medicine  (page  486),  reveals  another  phase  of 
Bennett's  villainy.    "About  this  time,"  he  says,  speaking  of 
the  rise,  in  1832,  and  thereabouts,  of  certain  reform  papers  in 
this  country,  "there  occurred  an  episode,  perhaps  the  first  of 
the  kind  ever  coming  to  light  in  the  United  States.    A  char- 
ter for  the  'University  of  Indiana'  and  the  'Christian  Col- 
lege,' at  New  Albany,  had  been  conferred  by  the  legislature 
in  1833.    The  mover  in  the  matter,  and  the  titular  president, 
and  chancellor  of  the  institution,  was  one  John  Cook  Ben- 
nett, afterward  attaining  notoriety  from  his  relations  with 
Joseph  Smith,  the  Mormon  Apostle,  in  Nauvoo.    The  insti- 
tution did  not  go  into  operation,  but  its  degrees  were  dis- 
tributed wherever  individuals  could  be  induced  to  accept  and 
pay  for  them.     Bennett  visited  Worthington  and  attempted 
to  vend  his  commodities  among  the  students.     He  boasted 
that  he  had  conferred  them  on  the  professors,  naming  Dr. 
Morrow,  but  this  was  shown  to  be  a  slander."     Whether 
Bennett's  own  degree  had  been  conferred  in  this  manner,  we 
are  not  informed.    And  yet  anti-"Mormon"  writers  continue 
to  quote  this  man's  statements  as  authority  for  "Mormon" 
wickedness  in  Nauvoo ! 

The  Inevitable  Boggs. 

Following  this,  occurred  one  of  the  most  high-handed  pro- 
ceedings that  ever  occurred  between  the  governors  of  two 
states.     It  came  came  about  in  this  manner: 

Lilburn   W.   Boggs,   who   was   an   ex-governor   by   this 


MALEVOLENT   ECHOES  319 

time,  on  the  evening  of  May  6th,  1842,  was  shot  by  an  un- 
known hand,  as  he  sat  in  his  room.  So  serious  were  the 
wounds  made  by  the  assassin  that  for  a  time  Boggs's  life 
was  despaired  of,  but  in  time  he  rallied  and  recovered.  It 
had,  however,  been  rumored  that  he  was  dead. 

More  than  two  months  went  by,  and  nothing  further 
was  said  of  the  occurrence,  when  suddenly  the  ex-governor 
went  before  Justice  Samuel  Weston,  of  whom  we  ha~ve  heard 
before,  and  made  out  an  affidavit  charging  Joseph  Smith,  "a 
resident  of  Illinois/'  with  being  accessory  before  the  fact  to 
an  assault  upon  his  person  with  intent  to  kill.  This  was  on 
the  15th  of  July.  On  the  strength  of  this  affidavit,  Governor 
Reynolds,  of  Missouri,  made  out  a  requisition  on  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Illinois  for  the  person  of  Joseph  Smith,  "a  fugitive 
from  justice,"  charged  with  "being  accessory  before  the  fact, 
to  an  assault  with  intent  to  kill,  made  by  one  O.  P.  Rockwell, 
on  Lilburn  W.  Boggs."  The  requisition  was  granted,  and 
the  accused  were  arrested  at  Nauvoo  by  the  sheriff  of  Adams 
county.  The  Prophet  and  Rockwell,  however,  obtained  a 
writ  of  habeas  corpus,  first  of  the  municipal  courts  at  Nau- 
voo, which  the  sheriff  refused  to  honor,  and  then  of  the  mas- 
ter in  chancery.  The  prisoners,  meanwhile  had  been  left  in 
charge  of  the  Marshal,  but  without  the  original  writ ;  so  they 
were  turned  loose. 

But  events  were  taking  such  a  turn  as  to  suggest  that 
the  two  brethren  go  into  hiding.  Accordingly,  Rockwell 
went  to  the  east,  and  Joseph  went  from  house  to  house 
among  his  friends.  First,  he  stayed  with  his  uncle  John  at 
Zarahemla,  but  hearing  that  the  Governor  of  Iowa  had 
issued,  upon  a  requisition  from  Missouri,  a  warrant  for  his 
arrest,  he  went  to  the  home  of  a  Brother  Edward  Sayers,  at 
Nauvoo.  Not  long  afterwards,'  however,  he  returned  to  his 
own  house,  conceiving  that  his  enemies  would  not  expect  him 
to  take  such  a  risk.    One  day,  however,  a  posse  came  to  the 


320  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

house  to  arrest  him,  but  were  delayed  in  the  hall  by  some  tri- 
fling questions  by  Emma  Smith  till  Joseph  had  time  to  escape 
through  the  back  door  into  some  tall  corn,  and  thence  to 
Bishop  Whitney's  residence.  His  next  home  was  at  Edward 
Hunter's,  from  which  he  directed  affairs  at  Nauvoo,  and 
wrote  a  valuable  epistle  to  the  Chruch  on  baptism  for  the 
dead.  Later,  however,  he  decided  that  he  would  be  as  safe 
at  his  own  home,  to  which  he  repaired,  though  he  remained 
there  only  a  short  time.  He  would  have  taken  his  family 
into  a  distant  part,  but  for  the  fact  that  the  enmity  of  those 
who  sought  his  life  was  as  great  against  the  whole  com- 
munity. Part  of  the  time  he  was  thus  concealed,  it  is  pleas- 
ant to  note,  was  devoted  to  cutting  and  hauling  wood  for 
the  poor  at  Nauvoo. 

Meanwhile,  petitions  were  sent  to  the  Governor  in  which 
he  was  invoked  to  turn  aside  these  illegal  proceedings.  One 
was  written  by  Emma  Smith  and  another  by  the  Relief  So- 
ciety. But  the  chief  executive  answered  by  setting  a  price 
on  the  heads  of  the  Prophet  and  Rockwell,— almost  his  last 
official  act  as  governor,  for  he  went  out  of  office  shortly 
afterwards.  The  Governor  of  Missouri  also  offered  a  reward 
for  the  capture  of  the  brethren.  For  a  time,  the  Prophet's 
friends  entertained  hopes  that  the  new  incumbent  of  the  gu- 
bernatorial chair — Thomas  Ford,  of  whom,  also,  we  shall 
hear  enough  presently — would  rescind  the  unjust  actions  of 
his  predecessors  ;  but  he  refused  to  undertake  "doubtful  pow- 
ers," although  he  admitted  in  a  letter  to  Joseph  that  Mis- 
souri's requisition  was  illegal.  At  the  same  time  Justice 
Butterfield  was  asked  for  his  opinion  on  the  whole  conduct  of 
the  frontier  state.  He  declared  that  it  was  entirely  unlawful, 
and  so  persuaded  Governor  Ford.  All  that  his  excellency 
would  do  was  to  advise  the  Prophet  to  submit  to  a  trial  at 
Springfield,  pledging  him  protection  to  and  from  the  place 
and  while  he  was  there.    And  Joseph  consented  to  be  tried. 


MALEVOLENT  ECHOES  321 

Accordingly,  he  was  arrested  by  Wilson  Law,  at  Nauvoo, 
on  Carlin's  proclamation.  At  Carthage  an  order  for  a  writ 
of  habeas  corpus  was  obtained  which  was  made  out  at 
Springfield  a  few  minutes  before  the  court  convened,  to 
which  place  the  Prophet  and  a  number  of  his  friends  had 
gone.  Joseph  was  placed  under  bonds  for  four  thousand 
dollars,  and  requested  to  appear  at  the  session  of  the  court 
which  was  to  be  held  a  few  days  hence.  The  attorney  for 
the  state  attempted  to  have  Joseph  turned  over  to  the  Mis- 
souri authorities,  on  the  ground  that  the  court  did  not  have 
jurisdiction  to  try  the  case.  But  Judge  Pope  decided  differ- 
ently, and  the  case  went  on. 

The  tactics  of  the  Prophet's  enemies  are  sufficiently  re- 
vealed in  the  opinion  of  Judge  Pope,  who  presided  at  the 
trial.  "It  is  proposed,"  he  says,  "to  deprive  a  freeman  of  his 
liberty ;  to  deliver  him  into  the  custody  of  strangers ;  to  be 
transported  to  a  foreign  state ;  to  be  arraigned  for  trial  be- 
fore a  foreign  tribunal,  governed  by  laws  unknown  to  him ; 
separated  from  his  friends,  family,  and  his  witnesses,  un- 
known and  unknowing.  Had  he  an  immaculate  character, 
it  would  not  avail  him  with  strangers.  Such  a  spectacle  is 
appalling  enough  to  challenge  the  strictest  analysis.  .  .  . 
Boggs  was  shot  on  the  6th  of  May.  The  affidavit  was  made 
on  the  25th  of  July  following.  Here  was  time  for  inquiry, 
which  would  confirm  into  certainty,  or  dissipate  his  sus- 
picions. He  had  time  to  collect  facts  to  be  had  before  a 
grand  jury,  or  be  incorporated  in  his  affidavit.  The  court 
is  bound  to  assume  that  this  would  have  been  the  course  of 
Mr.  Boggs,  but  his  suspicions  were  light  and  unsatisfactory. 
The  affidavit  is  insufficient.  First,  because  it  is  not  positive ; 
second,  because  it  charges  no  crime ;  third,  because  it  charges 
no  crime  committed  in  the  state  of  Missouri.  Therefore,  he 
did  not  flee  from  the  justice  of  the  state  of  Missouri,  nor  has 
he  taken  refuge  in  the  state  of  Illinois. " 


322  ONE   HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

Concerning  Governor  Reynolds's  part  in  this  affair,  he 
says:  "The  governor  of  Missouri,  in  his  demand,  calls 
Smith  a  fugitive  from  justice,  'charged  with  being  accessory 
before  the  fact  to  an  assault,  with  intent  to  kill,  made  by  one 
O.  P.  Rockwell,  on  Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  in  this  state  (Mis- 
souri).' This  governor  expressly  refers  to  the  affidavit  as  his 
authority  for  that  statement.  Boggs,  in  his  affidavit,  does 
not  call  Smith  a  fugitive  from  justice,  nor  does  he  state  a 
fact  from  which  the  governor  had  a  right  to  infer  it.  Neither 
does  the  name  of  O.  P.  Rockwell  appear  in  the  affidavit,  nor 
does  Boggs  say  Smith  fled.  Yet  the  governor  says  he  has 
fled  to  the  state  of  Illinois." 

Nor  does  the  complicity  of  ex-Governor  Carlin  escape. 
"The  governor  of  Illinois,"  continues  the  Judge,  "respond- 
ing to  the  demand  of  the  Executive  of  Missouri  for  the  ar- 
rest of  Smith,  issues  his  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  Smith,  re- 
citing that  'whereas  Joseph  Smith  stands  charged  by  the 
affidavit  of  Lilburn  W.  Boggs  with  being  accessory  before 
the  fact  to  an  assault,  with  intent  to  kill,  made  by  one  O.  P. 
Rockwell,  on  Lilburn  W.  Boggs,  on  the  night  of  the  6th  day 
of  May,  1842,  at  the  county  of  Jackson,  in  said  state  of  Mis- 
souri ;  and  that  the  said  Joseph  Smith  has  fled  from  the  jus- 
tice of  said  state  and  taken  refuge  in  the  state  of  Illinois/ 
Those  facts  do  not  appear  by  the  affidavit  of  Boggs."  So  the 
Prophet  was  discharged. 

Some  incidents  connected  with  this  Springfield  trial  also 
deserve  attention.  The  presence  of  the  famous  "Mormon" 
Prophet  in  this  place  occasioned  considerable  excitement. 
The  same  prejudice  was  manifested  here  that  showed  itself 
at  Monmouth.  But  the  Prophet  met  a  number  of  the  most 
prominent  men  of  Illinois ;  for  the  legislature  was  in  session. 
He  and  the  Governor  had  several  conversations.  "I  had  rea- 
son to  think,"  said  his  excellency  afterwards,  "that  the  Mor- 
mons were  a  peculiar  people,  different  from  other  people, 


MALEVOLENT  ECHOES  323- 

having  horns  or  something  of  the  kind ;  but  I  found  that  they 
looked  like  other  people;  indeed,  I  think  Mr.  Smith  a  very 
good-looking  man."  An  invitation  was  extended  Joseph  to 
preach  in  the  court  house ;  but  he  declined,  on  account  of  his 
being  under  arrest ;  and  Apostles  Hyde  and  Taylor  preached 
to  a  crowded  house,  whose  attention  was  divided  between 
the  words  of  the  preachers  and  the  person  of  the  Prophet. 

On  January  10th,  1843,  Joseph  and  his  brethren  reached 
Nauvoo,  amid  great  rejoicings.  The  Twelve  issued  a  procla- 
mation appointing  the  seventeenth  as  "a  day  of  humiliation, 
fasting,  praise,  prayer,  and  thanksgiving  before  the  Great 
Eloheim."  And  the  Prophet,  on  the  eleventh,  the  day  after 
his  arrival  from  Springfield,  gave  a  party  and  banquet  to  the 
Twelve  and  other  leading  citizens  of  Nauvoo. 

On  the  evening  of  these  festivities  at  Joseph's  home,  an 
incident  occurred  which  threatened  to  bring  things  to  an  un- 
happy crisis.  A  rough-looking  man  with  long,  straggling 
hair,  came  sauntering  into  the  banquet  room  like  one  in  the 
first  stages  of  intoxication.  The  Prophet,  casting  a  sus-" 
picious  eye  on  the  stranger,  quietly  notified  a  policeman 
present  to  put  the  fellow  out.  But  the  new-comer,  suddenly 
throwing  away  all  signs  of  drink,  grappled  this  functionary 
of  the  law.  All  eyes  were,  therefore,  turned  on  the  wrestlers. 
In  the  midst  of  the  scuffle,  Joseph  suddenly  caught  sight  of 
the  stranger's  face,  which  had  hitherto  been  mostly  concealed 
by  a  slouch  hat  drawn  down  on  his  head,  and  beheld  his 
old  friend  and  fellow-prisoner,  Orrin  Porter  Rockwell !  The 
"long-haired  stranger"  was,  of  course,  made  a  welcome 
guest,  whereupon  he  recounted  the  many  thrilling  events  of 
his  wanderings  since  he  had  last  seen  them. 

He  had  been  away  many  months.  First,  he  went  to  the 
Eastern  States.  But  he  tired  of  this  strange  country — for  he 
was  born  for  rough  work  in  the  pioneer's  land — and  found 
his  way  back  to  St.  Louis,  where  a  Missourian  recognized 


324  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

him  as  the  man  advertised  for  in  the  papers.  He  was  ar- 
rested, and  imprisoned  for  eight  months ;  but  even  a  Missouri 
grand  jury  could  find  nothing  against  him,  and  so  he  was 
not  detained,  on  that  account.  While  waiting,  however,  for 
this  decision  he  had  broken  jail,  for  which  he  was  sentenced 
to  five  minutes'  imprisonment,  which,  in  strict  accord  with 
Missouri  arithmetic,  prolonged  itself  into  a  few  hours. 

Once,  during  his  incarceration,  he  was  approached  con- 
fidentially by  Sheriff  Reynolds  with  a  proposition  by  which 
Rockwell  might  profit  greatly.  He  was  to  be  released,  go  to 
the  outskirts  of  Nauvoo,  there  meet  the  Prophet  by  appoint- 
ment, and  detain  him  until  his  "friends"  from  Missouri  could 
come  along.  "Rockwell,"  whispered  the  officer,  "only  de- 
liver Joe  Smith  into  our  hands,  and  you  can  name  your 
pile." 

'Til  see  you  damned  first,"  answered  the  redoubtable  Por- 
ter, "and  then  I  won't." 

Some  time  during  this  same  evening  Sidney  Rigdon 
handed  Orson  Pratt  a  letter  which  he  had  received,  addressed 
to  both  himself  and  Pratt,  from  John  C.  Bennett.  "I  leave 
tonight  for  Missouri,"  said  this  Benedict  Arnold,  "to  meet 
a  messenger  charged  with  the  arrest  of  Joseph  Smith,  Ly- 
man Wight,  and  others."  "The  war  goes  bravely  on,"  he 
continued;  "and  although  Smith  thinks  he  is  now  safe,  the 
evening  is  near,  even  at  the  door."  This  letter  Elder  Pratt 
promptly  turned  over  to  the  Prophet,  thus  relieving  himself 
of  the  odium  of  secret  correspondence  with  that  arch-traitor 
Bennett,  which  Rigdon,  whose  well  of  faith  was  not  fast 
drying  up,  has  never  been  altogether  cleared  of. 

'An  Evil  Sextette. 

In  June,  1843,  the  Prophet  and  his  family  went  to  visit 
Emma's  sister,  living  near  Dixon,  in  Lee  county,  more  than 
two  hundred  miles  north  of  Nauvoo.    One  morning  he  was 


MALEVOLENT   ECHOES  325 

walking  on  the  path  leading  from  the  house  to  the  barn, 
when  two  men  suddenly  pounced  upon  him,  like  tigers  from 
the  jungle,  and  with  profanity  of  the  most  shocking  charac- 
ter, took  hold  of  him  violently,  at  the  same  time  cocking 
their  revolvers  and  threatening  to  shoot  him  on  the  spot. 
Joseph  asked  what  the  meaning  of  all  this  was,  to  which  they 
only  answered  with  another  volley  of  oaths  and  additional 
threats  on  his  life,  dragging  him  meantime  to  their  wagon  in 
front  of  the  house.  No  warrant  had  been  served  upon  him 
thus  far,  but  he  was  hustled  into  the  wagon  and  driven  oft* 
towards  Dixon. 

These  two  men  were  sheriffs,  Reynolds  of  Missouri  and 
Wilson  of  Illinois.  They  carried  in  their  pockets  a  warrant 
which  Governor  Ford  had  issued  on  a  requisition  from  the 
Governor  of  Missouri.  These  two  governors,  it  seems,  had 
been  under  the  sinister  influence  of  John  C.  Bennett  and  a 
man  named  Owens,  from  Missouri,  where  he  had  once  led  a 
Jackson  county  mob  against  the  Saints.  Bennett  managed 
Governor  Reynolds  ;  and  Owens,  Governor  Ford.  And  these 
two  sheriffs  had  been  chosen  beforehand  by  these  two  evil 
counselors,  because  of  their  great  animus  towards  the  "Mor- 
mons" in  general  and  Joseph  Smith  in  particular. 

The  Prophet,  however,  had  not  been  left  in  the  dark  as 
to  the  new  movements  against  him.  We  have  seen  that  a  let- 
ter from  Bennett  to  Rigdon  and  Pratt  warned  him  of  this 
apostate's  progress  in  his  designs.  Then,  too,  as  soon  as  the 
warrant  was  out,  Judge  Adams,  a  friendly  attorney  at 
Springfield,  despatched  a  quick  messenger  to  Nauvoo  to 
notify  the  Prophet  of  his  danger.  But  Joseph,  not  being 
there,  his  brother  Hyrum  sent  Stephen  Markham  and  Will- 
iam Clayton  to  Dixon  with  the  news.  A  lawyer  at  Dixon, 
also,  just  after  this,  sent  word  to  Joseph  that  a  warrant  had 
been  issued  for  his  arrest.  Somehow,  Reynolds  and  Wilson 
got  wind  of  the  Prophet's  whereabouts,  and  had  come  direct 


326  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS  OF    MORMONISM 

to  Dixon  and  found  him.  It  is  asserted  that  they  disguised 
themselves  as  "Mormon"  elders.  If  so,  they  probably  thus 
won  the  confidence  of  some  good  "Mormon,"  and  obtained 
information  concerning  Joseph.  But  as  they  did  not  serve 
any  warrant  upon  him,  he  likely  imagined  them  kidnappers. 
While  they  were  putting  him  into  the  wagon,  Markham 
came  up  and  held  the  horses  till  Emma  could  reach  it  with 
Joseph's  coat  and  hat. 

At  this  time,  and  also  as  they  drove  to  Dixon,  the  sher- 
iffs cursed  and  swore  and  threatened  to  shoot  the  Prophet, 
poking  their  pistols  into  his  sides  till  his  flesh  there  was 
greatly  bruised.  Once  he  had  opened  his  shirt  bosom  to 
them  and  said :  "Kill  me  if  you  will,  I  am  not  afraid  to  die ; 
I  have  endured  so  much  oppression  that  I  am  weary  of  life. 
But  I  am  strong,  and  could  cast  both  of  you  down  if  I 
would." 

Arriving  at  Dixon,  he  was  thrust  into  a  room,  and  every 
person  who  proffered  to  aid  him  was  refused  admittance. 
Finally,  however,  the  proprietor  of  the  hotel  and  another 
friend  of  justice  gave  these  officers  to  understand  that,  what- 
ever violation  of  the  law  was  permitted  in  Missouri,  the 
prisoners  must  be  given  fair  treatment  in  Illinois.  So  Joseph 
obtained  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  returnable  before  Judge 
Caton,  at  Ottawa.  But  writs  were  also  sworn  out  against 
Reynolds  and  Wilson,  and  they  were  accordingly  placed  un- 
der arrest.  The  whole  company  thus  went  towards  Ottawa 
for  trial. 

At  Pawpaw  Grove,  thirty-two  miles  on  their  way,  they 
learned  that  Judge  Caton  was  out  of  the  state,  hence  they 
would  have  to  return  to  Dixon  for  new  writs  returnable 
'elsewhere.  But  before  leaving,  a  large  crowd,  hearing  that 
the  "Mormon"  Prophet  was  in  town,  gathered  at  the  hotel. 
They  wanted  to  hear  him  preach,  suggesting  the  subject  of 
marriage.     Reynolds,  however,  objected  to  this. 


MALEVOLENT  ECHOES 


327 


"I  wish  you  to  understand,"  he  said,  "that  this  man  is  my 
prisoner.     You  must  all  disperse." 

Whereupon  an  old  gentleman,  named  Town,  who  car- 
ried a  heavy  cane  to  help  his  lameness,  spoke  up:  "You 
damned  infernal  puke,  we'll  learn  you  to  come  here  and  in- 
terrupt gentlemen!  Sit  down  there  (pointing  to  a  very  low 
chair),  and  sit  still.  Don't  open  your  head  till  General 
Smith  gets  through  talking.  If  you  never  learned  manners 
in  Missouri,  we'll  teach  you  that  gentlemen  are  not  to  be 
imposed  upon  by  a  nigger-driver.  You  cannot  kidnap  men 
here.  There's  a  committee  in  this  grove  that  will  sit  on  your 
case ;  and,  sir,  it  is  the  highest  tribunal  in  the  United  States, 
as  from  its  decision  there  is  no  appeal." 

Joseph  spoke  for  an  hour  and  a  half  on  the  subject  chosen, 
and  the  company  returned  to  Dixon.  Arriving  there,  they 
obtained  new  warrants,  "returnable  before  the  nearest  court 
in  the  fifth  judicial  district,  authorized  to  hear  and  deter- 
mine writs  of  habeas  corpus."  As  that  was  thought  to  be 
Judge  Douglas's  at  Quincy,  they  went  towards  that  place; 
but  on  the  way  Joseph  convinced  his  attorney,  Cyrus  Walker, 
that  the  courts  of  Nauvoo  had  the  necessary  authority,  and 
so  they  decided  to  go  to  that  city. 

In  the  meantime,  Joseph  had  despatched  William  Clay- 
ton to  Nauvoo  with  news  of  what  had  happened  to  him.  It 
was  Sunday  when  he  reached  the  city,  and  meeting  was  in 
session.  Hyrum  announced,  in  the  midst  of  the  meeting, 
that  he  would  like  to  see  all  the  brethren  immediately.  The 
meeting,  of  course,  broke  up,  and  the  men  flocked  to  the 
green,  where  a  hollow  square  was  formed  around  Hyrum 
who  related  to  them  what  had  occurred,  and  called  for  vol- 
unteers to  go  to  the  rescue.  The  result  was  that  in  a  few 
hours  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  men  were  in  the  saddle 
on  their  way  over  the  country  towards  Dixon,  and  about 
seventy-five  more  took  passage  up  the  river  on  the  Maid  of 


328  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

Iozua,  with  instructions  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  render  aid 
to  Joseph. 

As  the  Prophet  and  his  party  approached  Monmouth, 
the  brethren  sent  out  from  Nauvoo  began  to  fall  in  by  small 
squads,  for  they  had  divided  in  order  the  better  to  accom- 
plish their  purpose.  The  sheriffs  who  had  Joseph  in  charge, 
when  they  learned  that  they  were  on  their  way  to  Nauvoo, 
were  alarmed  for  their  safety.  But  Joseph  assured  them 
that  they  should  receive  no  harm.  Now,  however,  as  the 
Prophet's  friends  kept  dropping  in,  they  needed  reassuring. 

"Is  Jem  Flack  anywhere  around?"  inquired  Reynolds, 
with  no  little  concern.    He  was  told  that  he  was. 

"Then  I'm  a  dead  man !"  was  his  answer,  as  his  face  as- 
sumed the  death  hue.  But  when  Jem  came  up,  the  Prophet 
requested  him  to  postpone  his  revenge  upon  the  Missourian 
till  another  time,  which  he  did. 

Reynold's  fears  that  Markham  would  do  him  violence  ap- 
peared to  be  equally  great,  for  he  asked,  when  Stephen  of- 
fered to  shake  hands  with  him — 

"Do  you  meet  me  as  a  friend?  I  expected  to  be  a  dead 
man  when  I  met  you  again." 

"We  are  friends,  except  in  law,"  was  Markham's  reply; 
"that  must  have  its  course." 

What  a  triumph  was  that  entrance  into  the  city!  Men, 
women,  and  children  came  to  meet  their  beloved  Prophet, 
with  music  and  shouts  of  joy  for  his  safe  return.  "Old 
Charley,"  Joseph's  favorite  horse,  was  brought  out,  and  the 
Prophet  mounted  him  and  rode  into  town,  Emma  by  his  side. 
Upon  reaching  his  home,  Joseph  spoke  a  few  words  to  the 
'multitude,  promising  to  address  them  at  four  o'clock,  near 
the  temple.  And  they  dispersed.  About  fifty  persons  sat 
down  at  the  Prophet's  table  that  afternoon,  including  the  two 
sheriffs  who  had  so  shamefully  abused  him.  They  were 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  table,  and  waited  upon  by  Emma 


MALEVOLENT  ECHOES  329 

herself!  In  the  afternoon,  Joseph  addressed  the  Saints,  as 
promised. 

The  trial  of  the  Prophet  occurred  in  due  time  at  a  court 
presided  over  by  William  Marks,  D.  H.  Wells,  N.  K.  Whit- 
ney, G.  W.  Harris,  Gustavus  Hills,  and  Hiram  Kimball,  as 
justice  and  associates.  Hyrum  Smith,  Parley  P.  Pratt, 
Brigham  Young,  G.  W.  Pitkin,  Lyman  Wight,  and  Sidney 
Rigdon  were  examined  as  witnesses ;  for  this  court  had  less 
scruples  than  those  at  Monmouth  and  Springfield  about  en- 
tering into  the  merits  of  the  case.  The  Prophet  was  ac- 
quitted. Copies  of  all  the  documents  pertaining  to  the  trial 
were  forwarded  to  Governor  Ford,  so  that  he  might  be  in- 
formed as  to  what  had  been  done.  These  documents,  which 
may  be  found  in  the  appendix  to  Vol.  III.,  of  the  History 
of  the  Church,  constitute  the  most  authoritative  and  detailed 
original  source  of  information  concerning  the  whole  series 
of  difficulties  between  the  Saints  and  the  Missourians. 
They  are  all,  of  course,  from  the  "Mormon"  point  of  view. 

Thus  every  effort  on  the  part  of  Missouri  to  get  the 
Prophet  into  her  power  was  thwarted,  and  Joseph  was  a  free 
man. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  SEED  OF  THE  CHURCH 

And  now  we  come  to  the  last  scenes  in  the  remarkable 
career  of  the  Prophet  Joseph — those  which  terminated  in  his 
martrydom.  Like  so  many  other  untoward  events  in  the 
history  of  "Mormonism,"  that  dark  tragedy  at  Carthage  was 
brought  about  by  a  combination  of  elements  without  and 
within  the  Church. 

Political  Snares. 

The  "Mormons,"  in  the  Missouri  and  Illinois  periods,  held  a 
unique  but  altogether  unenviable  situation  politically.  In  the 
latter  state,  particularly,  they  held  the  balance  of  power. 
Moreover,  since  there  was  usually  some  opposition  from 
without  making  head  against  them,  secretly  or  openly,  they 
were  compelled  to  vote  pretty  much  together.  Hence,  after 
election,  the  defeated  party,  of  course,  would  blame  the 
"Mormons,"  and  that  without  respect  to  whether  it  was 
the  Whigs  or  the  Democrats. 

The  charge  was  made  then,  and  has  been  made  since,  that 
Joseph  Smith  ordered  the  votes  of  his  people.  But  this 
is  altogether  without  foundation  or  warrant  in  fact.  The 
Prophet  himself  always  disclaimed  having  anything  to  do 
with  telling  the  Saints  how  to  vote,  and  called  them  to  wit- 
ness, in  their  public  assemblies,  that  they  were  perfectly  free 
to  cast  their  ballots,  a  thing  he  would  not  have  done  if  he  ex- 
ercised any  tyrannical  influence  in  political  elections.  The 
solidarity  of  the  "Mormon"  vote  in  Illinois  is  to  be  ex- 
plained in  a  simpler  way  than  by  the  hypothesis  that  the 


THE  SEED  OF  THE  CHURCH  331 

Prophet  dictated  their  votes  and  that  the  people  servilely 
obeyed  him  in  the  matter.  Outside  pressure  compelled  them 
to  act  together  for  self-protection.  If  Methodists,  or  Bap- 
tists, or  Presbyterians,  argued  the  Prophet,  were  told  by  one 
political  party  that  their  civil  rights  would  be  taken  from 
them  if  its  nominees  were  placed  in  power,  and  by  the  other 
party  that  their  rights  should  be  protected  if  its  candidates 
were  elected,  it  would  scarcely  need  a  bishop  or  elder  to  tell 
them  how  to  vote.    It  was  exactly  so  with  the  "Mormons." 

One  unfortunate  thing,  however,  occurred  in  connection 
with  the  summer  election  of  1843,  which  rather  intensified 
partisan  feelings  against  the  Saints.  While  the  Prophet  was 
in  the  hands  of  Reynolds  and  Wilson  at  Dixon,  Cyrus 
Walker,  a  celebrated  criminal  lawyer  of  Illinois,  came  along, 
whose  services  Joseph  could  engage  only  on  the  condition 
that  he  would  vote  for  him  at  the  coming  election  as  repre- 
sentative for  Congress.  The  Illinois  State  Register,  a  Dem- 
ocratic paper,  declared,  and  perhaps  with  truth,  that  Walker 
"miraculously  happened"  to  be  in  the  neighborhood  of  Dixon 
at  this  time.  Such,  at  any  rate,  was  the  agreement  between 
him  and  Joseph.  And  whatever  question  may  be  entertained 
respecting  the  propriety  of  Joseph's  accepting  the  services  of 
this  attorney  on  such  a  condition,  certain  it  is  that  there  were 
built  up  strong  hopes  for  Walker  and  the  Whig  ticket,  since 
it  was  generally  supposed  that  the  Prophet's  vote  carried 
with  it  the  entire  "Mormon"  vote.  On  election  day  Joseph, 
according  to  his  promise,  cast  his  ballot  for  Walker ;  but  the 
great  majority  of  the  Saints,  on  account  of  a  strong  suspicion 
that  there  was  a  Whig  plot  against  them,  voted  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket,  including  Mr.  Hodge's  name  for  Congressman. 
The  rest  of  the  story  is  told  in  Ford's  History  of  Illinois, 
and  since  the  Governor  had  all  the  facts  before  him  and 
knew  whereof  he  spoke,  his  statement  is  the  more  valuable. 

"The  next  day  Mr.   Hodge   received  about  three  thou- 


332  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF   MORMON  ISM 

sand  votes  in  Nauvoo,  and  was  elected  to  Congress  by  six  or 
eight  hundred  majority.  The  result  of  the  election  struck 
the  Whigs  with  perfect  amazement.  Whilst  they  fancied 
themselves  secure  of  getting  the  Mormon  vote  for  Mr. 
Walker,  the  Whig  newspapers  had  entirely  ceased  their  ac- 
customed abuse  of  the  Mormons.  They  now  renewed  their 
crusade  against  them ;  every  paper  was  loaded  with  accounts 
of  the  wickedness,  corruptions,  and  enormities  of  Nauvoo. 
The  Whig  orators  groaned  with  complaints  and  denuncia- 
tions of  the  Democrats,  who  would  consent  to  receive  Mor- 
mon support,  and  the  Democratic  officers  of  the  state  were 
violently  charged  and  assaulted  with  using  the  influence  of 
their  offices  to  govern  the  Mormons.  From  this  time  for- 
ward the  Whigs  generally,  and  a  part  of  the  Democrats,  de- 
termined upon  driving  the  Mormons  out  of  the  state;  and 
everything  connected  with  the  Mormons  became  political, 
and  was  considered  almost  entirely  with  reference  to  party." 
An  attempt  was  made,  but  was  not  successful,  to  pre- 
vent two  persons  from  Nauvoo — the  school  commissioner 
and  the  clerk  for  the  commissioner's  court,  both  recently 
elected — from  qualifying  at  Carthage.  In  August,  1843,  an 
anti-"Mormon"  meeting  was  called  to  protest  against  any 
"Mormons"  holding  office.  Resolutions  were  adopted  charg- 
ing every  crime  in  the  calendar  against  the  Saints,  and  in 
which  those  at  the  meeting  pledged  themselves  to  resist  the 
"Mormons,"  peaceably  if  they  could,  forcibly  if  they  must. 
This  was  followed  up  later  by  actual  violence.  Daniel  Avery 
and  his  sons  were  kidnapped  by  the  Rev.  Levi  Williams  of 
Warsaw,  John  Elliot,  and  others,  and  given  to  Missourians. 
Rumors  were  abroad  shortly  afterwards  to  the  effect  that 
Missouri,  or  that  part  of  it  where  the  Saints  had  lived,  pur- 
posed to  invade  Illinois  to  work  out  their  will  upon  the 
"Mormons,"  in  consequence  of  which  the  Saints  petitioned 
the  Governor  for  protection. 


THE  SEED  OF  THE  CHURCH  333 

"A  President  of  the  United  States." 

To  avoid  these  political  entanglements  the  Saints  used  every 

means  within  their  power.     One  of  these  we  must  give  in 

detail,  as  it  shows  the  real  attitude  of  the  "Mormon"  people 

politically. 

1844  was  a  year  of  the  presidential  election.  Towards 
the  close  of  the  preceding  year,  the  Prophet  wrote  a  letter  to 
each  of  the  prospective  candidates — among  them  Henry 
Clay,  John  C.  Calhoun,  Martin  Van  Buren,  and  Lewis  Cass, 
asking  him  what  would  be  his  rule  of  action  relative  to  the 
"Mormons"  should  fortune  favor  his  ascendency  to  the 
chief  magistracy.  Only  Clay  and  Calhoun  answered,  the  for- 
mer declaring  that  he  could  give  no  pledge  except  what 
might  be  drawn  from  his  whole  life,  character,  and  conduct, 
the  latter  that  the  powers  of  the  federal  government  were  so 
limited  and  specific  as  to  permit  no  interference  with  the 
actions  of  a  state.  To  both  of  these  Joseph  wrote  scathing, 
not  to  say,  harsh,  replies.  Later  he  declared  publicly  that  "it 
is  morally  impossible  for  this  people,  in  justice  to  themselves, 
to  vote  for  the  re-election  of  President  Van  Buren.  .  .  . 
As  to  Mr.  Clay,  his  sentiments  and  cool  contempt  of  the  peo- 
ple's rights  are  manifested  in  his  reply:  'You  had  better  go 
to  Oregon  for  redress,'  which  would  prohibit  any  true  lover 
of  our  constitutional  privileges  from  supporting  him  at  the 
ballot-box."  And  when  politicians  came  to  Nauvoo  pressing 
the  claims  of  their  respective  candidates  for  the  presidency, 
the  Saints,  apprehensive  of  danger  ahead,  began  to  cast 
about  them  for  a  new  policy  in  matters  political. 

The  new  policy  was  to  nominate  a  president  of  their 
own.  At  a  political  gathering  held  at  Nauvoo,  January  29th, 
it  was  moved  and  carried  "that  we  have  an  independent  elec- 
toral ticket,  and  that  Joseph  Smith  be  a  candidate  for  the 
next  presidency ;  and  that  we  use  all  honorable  means  in  our 
power  to  secure  his  election."     Sidney  Rigdon,  who  had 


334  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS  OF    MORMON  ISM 

moved  to  Pennsylvania,  was  subsequently  nominated  for 
vice-president.  The  Times  and  Seasons  came  out  with  this 
ticket  at  the  head  of  its  editorial  columns ;  and  one  hundred 
and  thirty-seven  elders  were  sent  out  over  the  states  to  "pre- 
sent before  the  people  'General  Smith's  Views  of  the  Powers 
and  Policy  of  the  General  Government,'  and  seek  diligently 
to  get  up  electors  who  will  vote  for  him  for  the  presidency." 
That  any  "Mormon"  entertained  the  vaguest  hopes  concern- 
ing the  prophet-candidate  and  his  preacher-associate,  is  not 
to  be  thought  of  as  within  the  range  of  probability.  Every- 
thing connected  with  the  affair  goes  to  show  that  the  Saints 
viewed  this  as  an  opportunity  (1)  to  prove  their  political 
consistency,  (2)  to  escape  the  political  snare  that  was  al- 
ready forming  around  their  feet,  and  (3)  to  get  before  the 
people  of  the  nation  some  original  and  powerful  ideas  re- 
specting government. 

"The  Views  of  the  Powers  and  Policy  of  the  General 
Government"  above  referred  to  was  a  pamphlet  published  by 
the  Prophet — an  able  and  patriotic  document,  which  is  wor- 
thy of  more  than  a  passing  notice. 

"Born  in  a  land  of  liberty,  and  breathing  an  air  uncor- 
rupted  with  the  sirocco  of  barbarous  climes,"  it  opens, 
rather  grandiloquently,  "I  feel  a  double  anxiety  for  the  hap- 
piness of  all  men,  both  in  time  and  in  eternity."  Then  fol- 
lows a  characteristic  review  of  the  national  government  from 
Washington  to  Van  Buren,  under  whom,  we  read,  the  glory 
of  American  liberty  began  to  wTane.  "Reduce  Congress  at 
least  two-thirds, "it  advises.  "Two  senators  from  a  state  and 
two  members  to  a  million  of  population  will  do  more  business 
than  the  army  that  now  occupy  the  hall  of  the  national  leg- 
islature. Pay  them  two  dollars  and  their  board  per  diem 
(except  Sundays).  That  is  more  than  a  farmer  gets,  and 
he  lives  honestly.  Curtail  the  officers  of  government  in 
pay,   number,   and    power;    for   the    Philistine    lords   have 


THE  SEED  OF  THE  CHURCH  335 

shorn  our  nation  of  its  goodly  locks  in  the  lap  of  Delilah. " 
Every  convict  was  to  be  pardoned  and  told  to  go  his  way 
and  sin  no  more ;  the  penalty  for  larceny,  burglary,  or  any 
felony  should  be  made  applicable  to  labor  upon  public  works, 
and  the  culprit  taught  more  wisdom  and  virtue ;  Congress 
should   establish   a  national   bank   with  branches   in   every 
state,  and  the  net  gain  applied  to  the  national  revenue ;  less 
power  should  be  given  the  states  and  more  to  the  general 
government;  Texas,   Mexico,  and  Canada   should  be  per- 
mitted to  join  the  Union  when  they  desired  to  do  so;  and 
all  the  black  men  should  be  purchased  of  their  present  own- 
ers by  the  surplus  revenue  arising  from  the  sale  of  public 
lands  and  from  the  deduction  of  pay  from  members  of  Con- 
gress.    ''We  have  had  Democratic  Presidents,"  it  went  on, 
"Whig   Presidents,   a   pseudo-Democratic-Whig   President, 
and  now  it  is  time  to  have  a  President  of  the  United  States/'' 
After  touching  upon  the  inconsistencies  of  Van  Buren,  it 
said:     "Wherefore,  were   I   the   President  of  the   United 
States,  by  the  voice  of  a  virtuous  people,  I  would  honor  the 
old  paths  of  the  venerated  fathers  of  freedom ;  I  would  walk 
in  the  tracks  of  the  illustrious  patriots  who  carried  the  ark  of 
the  government  upon  their  shoulders  with  an  eye  single  to 
the  glory  of  the  people;  and  when  that  people  petitioned 
to  abolish  slavery  in  the  slave  states,  I  would  use  all  honor- 
able means  to  have  their  prayers  granted,  and  give  liberty  to 
the  captive  by  paying  the  Southern  gentleman  a  reasonable 
equivalent  for  his  property ;  that  the  whole  nation  might  in- 
deed be  free." 

These  views  were  commented  upon  very  freely  by  the 
press,  east  and  west.  Some  papers  spoke  favorably  of  them, 
contrasting  the  open  pledges  of  the  "Mormon"  candidate 
with  the  shifting,  evasive  methods  of  some  of  the  others. 
The  views  on  slavery  were  especially  striking.  Josiah 
Quincy  visited  the  Prophet  a  few  weeks  before  the  latter's 


336  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

death,  in  1844;  to  him  Joseph  expressed  himself  on  this 
subject  along  the  lines  followed  in  the  pamphlet;  and  that 
statesman  and  writer  declared  that  "if  the  retired  scholar/' 
Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  "was  in  advance  of  his  time  when 
he  advocated  this  disposition  of  the  public  property  in  1855, 
what  shall  I  say  of  the  political  and  religious  leader  who  had 
committed  himself,  in  print,  as  well  as  in  conversation,  to 
the  same  course  in  1844?  If  the  atmosphere  of  men's  opin- 
ions were  stirred  by  such  a  proposition  when  war-clouds 
were  discernible  in  the  sky,  was  it  not  a  statesman-like  word 
eleven  years  earlier,  when  the  heavens  looked  tranquil  and 
beneficent  ?" 

"A  Judas  in  Our  Midst." 

This  inimical  party  spirit  in  Illinois  at  this  time,  was  eagerly 
embraced,  as  is  always  the  case,  by  religious  jealousy.  Sec- 
tarian bigotry  had  ever  been  on  the  alert  for  a  pretext 
against  the  "Mormons,"  and  had  enthusiastically  joined 
hands  with  elements  of  "the  baser  sort"  to  encompass  the 
defeat  of  a  religion  that  showed  signs  of  superior  energy 
and  success.  Hence,  when  some  of  the  narrow-minded  and 
unteachable  clergy  in  the  vicinity  of  Nauvoo  found  the  poli- 
ticians and  their  papers  clamorous  against  the  "Mormons," 
they  readily  joined  in  the  hue  and  cry. 

But  this  religious  and  political  combination  could  not 
have  succeeded  in  their  evil  purposes  if  it  had  not  been  re- 
inforced by  traitors  and  apostates  within  the  Church.  "All 
the  enemies  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,"  said  the  Prophet  in 
December,  1843,  at  a  meeting  of  the  city  council,  "may  roar 
and  exert  all  their  power  to  bring  about  my  death,  but  they 
can  accomplish  nothing,  unless  some  who  are  among  us,  who 
have  enjoyed  our  society,  have  been  with  us  in  our  councils, 
participated  in  our  confidence,  taken  us  by  the  hand,  called  us 
brother,  saluted  us  with  a  kiss,  join  with  our  enemies,  and  by 


THE  SEED  OF  THE  CHURCH  337 

falsehood  and  deceit,  stir  up  their  wrath  and  indignation 
against  us,  and  bring  their  united  vengeance  upon  our 
heads."  But  in  this  very  address  he  exclaimed :  "We  have 
a  Judas  in  our  midst." 

Not  long  after  this  it  transpired  that  there  were,  not  one, 
but  several  Judases.  O.  P.  Rockwell,  a  city  policeman,  had 
said  something  tc  Joseph  about  some  new  attempts  on  the 
part  of  the  Prophet's  enemies  to  get  him  into  their  power. 
Hence  a  number  of  additional  policemen  had  been  appointed 
to  patrol  the  city,  especially  at  night.  This,  together  with 
the  remark  of  Joseph's  concerning  a  Judas,  had  given  great 
offense  to  William  Law  and  William  Marks,  president  of 
the  Nauvoo  Stake.  The  former,  on  two  different  occasions, 
had  asked  for  and  obtained  a  special  investigation,  by  the 
city  council,  into  certain  dangers,  while  he  professed  to  fear 
greatly,  on  account  of  these  extra  police,  whom,  he  averred, 
had  been  sworn  in  under  secret  oath  to  disturb  his  peace. 
"What  can  be  the  matter  with  these  men?"  asked  the 
Prophet,  shortly  after  this.  "Is  it  that  the  wicked  flee  when 
no  man  pursueth,  that  hit  pigeons  always  flutter,  that  drown- 
ing men  catch  at  straws,  or  that  Presidents  Law  and  Marks 
are  traitors."  Subsequent  events  proved  that  Law,  at  least, 
was  a  traitor,  and  that  he  was  the  head  of  a  band  of  con- 
spirators whose  secret  meetings  were  in  danger  of  being 
disturbed  if  not  broken  up  by  the  police  of  whom  he  com- 
plained. Not  long  after  this  a  notice  appeared  in  the  Times 
and  Seasons  that  Robert  D.  Foster,  Wilson  Law,  William 
Law,  and  Jane  Law  had  been  excommunicated  from  the 
Church  "for  un-Christianlike  conduct."  Foster  had  been  a 
consort  of  the  infamous  Bennett;  William  Law  had  been 
second  counselor  to  Joseph. 

Concerning  some  of  the  secret  meetings  of  this  society 
of  traitors  and  their  designs  against  the  Prophet  and  the  lib- 
erties of  Nauvoo,  we  have  a  detailed  account  given  by  Deni- 


338  ONE   HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

son  L.  Harris  and  Robert  Scott,  who  were  young  men  at  this 
time.  Harris  was  living  at  his  father's  in  Nauvoo,  Scott  had 
been  reared  in  William  Law's  family.  They  had  both  been 
invited  to  a  secret  meeting,  the  former  by  Austin  Cowles,  a 
member  of  the  high  council,  and  the  latter  by  Law.  They 
had  been  told  something  about  its  general  purposes,  and 
warned  not  to  breathe  a  word  concerning  it  to  a  soul,  except 
Harris's  father,  who  might  come  if  he  wished.  The  thing 
having  been  communicated  to  the  elder  Harris,  he  decided 
to  ask  the  Prophet's  advice.  Joseph  told  him  not  to  go  him- 
self, but  to  let  his  son  go. 

The  first  meeting  was  held  on  a  Sabbath  afternoon  at 
William  Law's  new  brick  house.  There  were  many  present, 
among  whom  they  recognized  the  two  Laws,  the  two  Hig- 
bees,  the  two  Fosters,  Cowles,  the  Hicks  brothers,  and  two 
prominent  merchants,  named  French  and  Rollinson.  The 
time  was  spent  in  denouncing  the  "fallen  prophet,"  and  in 
urging  the  necessity  of  organizing.  A  meeting  was  called 
for  the  following  Sunday.  The  boys  reported  to  Joseph 
what  they  had  seen  and  heard,  and  were  requested  by  him  to 
attend  again.  This  second  meeting  was  occupied  in  a  similar 
manner,  except  that  Hyrum  Smith  and  other  leading  breth- 
ren came  in  for  their  share  of  vilification  and  abuse.  The 
boys  again  reported  to  the  Prophet,  and  were  requested  to 
attend  the  third  meeting.  This  time,  however,  Joseph  had 
considerable  apprehensions  concerning  the  young  men's 
safety ;  but  he  said  that  he  hardly  thought  that  their  blood 
would  be  shed,  though  under  no  consideration  were  they  to 
take  any  of  their  oaths.  So  they  went,  feeling  that  they 
might  never  return  alive. 

The  doors  were  guarded  by  armed  men.  They  were, 
however,  admitted.  An  organization  was  effected.  Francis 
Higbee,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  sat  at  the  table  administering 
the  oath  to  each  person  as  he  came  up.     "You  solemnly 


THE  SEED  OF  THE   CHURCH  339 

swear,"  read  this  blood-curdling  instrument,  ''before  God 
and  all  holy  angels,  and  these,  your  brethren  by  whom  you 
are  surrounded,  that  you  will  give  your  life,  your  liberty, 
your  influence,  your  all,  for  the  destruction  of  Joseph  Smith 
and  his  party,  so  help  you  God."  Then  the  person  signed 
his  name  in  a  book.  Among  the  number  were  three  women, 
heavily  veiled,  one  of  whom  was  weeping.  When  everyone 
else  had  sworn  and  signed,  the  boys  were  approached  and 
importuned  to  do  the  same.  They  were  coaxed,  amid  gen- 
eral attention.  They  quietly  but  firmly  refused.  Then  they 
were  threatened ;  but  still  they  would  not  be  sworn. 

"You  know  too  much  now,"  was  the  general  cry,  "and 
you  must  join  or  die !"     But  they  were  firm. 

Knives-  were  drawn,  and  guns  were  cocked,  and  men 
rushed  upon  them  from  all  parts  of  the  room.  But  they  were 
protected  by  the  calmer  feelings  of  some  of  the  leaders.  It 
was  suggested  that  the  room  which  they  occupied  at  the 
time  was  an  improper  place  to  commit  such  a  deed  as  was 
contemplated  ;  the  attention  of  passers-by  might  be  attracted. 
So  they  all  started  for  the  cellar.  On  their  way,  however, 
some  one  suggested  the  possibility  of  their  being  discovered, 
for  the  boys'  parents  knew  where  they  were.  This  turned 
the  tide,  and  the  young  men  were  dismissed  after  being 
warned  that  if  they  ever  divulged  what  they  had  heard  they 
would  be  killed,  night  or  day. 

On  approaching  the  bank  of  the  river  they  discovered 
that  the  Prophet  and  Scott's  brother  John  were  hidden  there. 
The  whole  situation  was  discussed  by  these  four.  Joseph 
was  unusually  moved,  he  wept. 

''You  do  not  know,"  he  said,  "how  all  this  will  end ;  bat 
I  do!     I  fully  comprehend  it!" 

This  fact  that  there  existed  a  plot  against  the  Prophet's 
life  is  confirmed,  first,  by  affidavits  by  M.  G.  Eaton  and  A.  B. 
Williams,  and,  secondly,  by  actions  of  the  principals  in  it 


340  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

— the  Laws,  the  Higbees,  and  the  Fosters ;  for  subsequently 
they  formed  an  organization  with  "apostles,"  "prophets, " 
and  other  officers  after  the  pattern  of  the  Church.  Their  con- 
tention, strangely  enough,  was  that  the  Church  was  true  but 
the  leaders  "fallen."  Some  of  these  men,  according  to  all 
the  evidence  that  has  reached  our  day  concerning  them,  were 
guilty  of  the  gravest  immoralities,  for  which  they  had  been 
cut  off  from  the  Church.  And  the  fact  of  their  eagerness 
to  imbrue  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  innocence,  of  which 
there  is  abundant  proof,  is  sufficient  evidence  of  their  de- 
pravity ;  since,  if  Joseph  and  his  fellow-apostles  were  guilty 
of  the  heinous  offense  these  men  charged  against  them,  these 
apostates  would  not  have  resorted  to  secret  plots,  but  would 
have  brought  them  before  the  law.  Inflammatory  editorials 
in  the  Whig  papers  and  public  meetings  at  various  places 
passing  resolutions  to  expel  or  exterminate  the  "Mormons" 
from  the  state,  emboldened  this  apostate  gang  within  the 
city ;  and  the  violent  and  unprincipled  without,  concerted 
with  the  treacherous  and  base  within,  Nauvoo,  to  accomplish 
the  overthrow  of  "Mormonism"  and  the  death  of  its  leading 
men.  Arrests  and  counter-arrests  were  made.  Foster 
threatened  the  life  of  the  Prophet  in  open  day,  and  was  ar- 
rested. He  retaliated  by  planting  a  suit  for  defamation  of 
character  and  false  imprisonment.  Finally,  there  appeared  a 
prospectus  of  an  anti-"Mormon"  sheet,  to  be  called  The 
Nauvoo  Expositor,  which  expressed  the  intentions  of  the 
publishers  to  advocate  the  repeal  of  the  city  charter  and  to 
lay  bare  the  wickedness  of  the  citizens,  irrespective  of  the 
position  occupied  by  the  wrong  doers. 

On  the  7th  of  June,  1844,  appeared  the  first  issue  of  the 
Expositor,  reeking  with  libel  and  threats.  The  leading  citi- 
zens, men  and  women,  were  spoken  of  and  slandered  in  the 
most  indecent  terms.  One  great  cry  of  indignation  arose 
from  the  city.    In  any  other  part  of  the  Union,  not  to  speak 


THE  SEED  OF  THE  CHURCH  341 

of  the  West,  a  mob  would  have  immediately  destroyed  the 
press  and  cut  off  the  ungodly  career  of  the  libelers.  But  the 
"Mormons"  awaited  peaceful  and  legal  measures.  It  is 
highly  probably  that  this  libelous  publication  was  issued  only 
for  the  purpose  of  luring  the  "Mormons"  into  the  commis- 
sion of  some  overt  act  that  would  make  them  amenable  to 
the  law. 

A  meeting  of  the  city  council  was  called.  The  member^ 
realized  fully  the  gravity  of  their  situation.  "They  felt  that 
they  were  in  a  critical  position,  and  that  any  move  made  for 
the  abating  of  that  press  would  be  looked  upon,  at  least  rep- 
resented, as  a  direct  attack  upon  the  liberty  of  speech,  and 
that,  so  far  from  displeasing  our  enemies,  it  would  be  looked 
upon  by  them  as  one  of  the  best  circumstances  that  could 
transpire  to  assist  them  in  their  nefarious  and  bloody  de- 
signs." Nevertheless,  after  much  deliberation,  they  decided 
that  the  printing-office  whence  issued  the  Nauvoo  Expositor 
was  a  public  nuisance,  together  with  such  copies  of  the  paper 
as  might  be  found  in  the  establishment ;  and  the  mayor  was 
instructed  "to  cause  said  establishment  and  papers  to  be  re- 
moved without  delay,  in  such  manner  as  he  should  direct." 

The  city  marshal,  John  P.  Greene,  was  ordered  to  abate 
the  nuisance,  which  he  forthwith  proceeded  to  do.  The  door 
was  broken  down,  the  press  carried  out  and  broken,  the  type 
pied,  the  papers  burned;  and  a  report  of  what  was  done 
given  to  Joseph  Smith,  the  mayor. 

The  conspirators  thereupon  set  fire  to  the  building  and 
"fled"  to  Carthage,  crying  out  that  the  "Mormons"  had 
driven  them  away  from  their  homes.  The  flames,  however, 
were  put  out  by  the  police  before  any  damage  had  been  done. 
At  Carthage  Francis  Higbee  swore  out  a  complaint  against 
Joseph  Smith  and  all  the  members  of  the  city  council  for  riot. 
The  warrant  required  that  they  go  before  Justice  fylorrison 
"or  some  other  justice  of  the  peace."    Joseph  refused  to  go 


342  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

to  Carthage,  but  expressed  his  willingness  to  go  before 
"some  other  justice."  .  But  the  constable  insisted  on  his 
going  to  Carthage.  The  usual  recourse,  however — a  writ  of 
habeas  corpus — settled  matters  for  the  time  being. 

Excitement  in  and  about  Hancock  county  now  rose  to  a 
high  point.  Meetings  were  held  at  Warsaw,  Carthage,  and 
other  places,  at  which  the  most  violent  counsels  prevailed. 
The  liberty  of  the  press — that  sacred  boon  of  Americans — 
had  been  invaded  at  Nauvoo ;  and  the  ordinary  forms  of 
legal  procedure  would  be  ineffective  to  remedy  the  evil! 
The  Governor  was  invoked  to  render  immediate  assistance ; 
but  lest  time  be  wasted  forces  must  be  collected,  so  as  to  be 
ready  when  he  made  his  appearance.  These  forces,  however, 
once  mustered,  could  not  restrain  their  impatience  for  action  ; 
and  so  they  went  against  the  settlements  of  the  Saints  around 
Nauvoo  threatening  them  with  death  or  banishment  if  they 
would  not  deny  the  divine  calling  of  Joseph  Smith,  leave 
within  a  few  days  for  Nauvoo,  or  give  up  all  their  arms. 
The  Saints,  however,  always  appealed  to  the  Prophet  for 
advice,  who  told  them  not  to  relinquish  any  of  their  rights 
as  American  citizens  as  long  as  they  were  able  to  defend 
them,  but  if  they  were  not  sufficiently  numerous,  to  flee  to 
the  city  for  protection. 

In  the  meantime,  the  Saints  kept  the  Governor  informed 
concerning  all  that  was  going  on.  Joseph  expressed  his  will- 
ingness to  abide  by  the  results  of  the  law  respecting  the  de- 
struction of  the  press ;  he  would  go  to  Springfield  for  trial  as 
soon  as  he  was  so  requested  by  his  Excellency.  Afterwards, 
upon  the  advice  of  Judge  Thomas,  the  mayor  and  the  coun- 
cilors went  before  Justice  Wells,  a  non-"Mormon,"  at  Nau- 
voo, were  tried,  and  acquitted.  Pacific  resolutions  were 
adopted  at  a  public  meeting,  denying  the  wild  rumors  afloat 
concerning  the  "Mormons,"  and  men  were  sent  out  to  dis- 
abuse the  public  mind  of  wrong  impressions  respecting  their 


THE  SEED  OF  THE  CHURCH 


343 


conduct  and  intentions.  But  this  failing  to  have  the  desired 
effect— for  the  sentiment  against  them  was  bitter  everywhere 
— Nauvoo  was  declared  under  martial  law. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Joseph  delivered  his  famous  ad- 
dress—his last  public  utterance  to  the  people  whom  he  loved 
so  devotedly,  and  for  whom  he  had  many  times  expressed 
himself  as  willing  to  lay  down  his  life.  He  stood  upon  the 
framework  of  an  unfinished  building,  in  full  uniform,  sur- 
rounded by  the  legion  and  a  vast  throng  of  citizens.  It  was 
not  only  his  blood,  he  said,  that  his  enemies  sought,  but  like- 
wise the  blood  of  ''every  man  in  whose  heart  dwells  a  single 
spark  of  the  fulness  of  the  gospel."  The  Saints  had  not  vio- 
lated any  law,  but  had  always  held  themselves  amenable  to 
its  operations ;  and  their  enemies — those  who  were  now  stir- 
ring up  this  strife  against  them — were  endeavoring  to  hide 
their  own  infamy  under  cover  of  alleged  ''Mormon"  atroci- 
ties. He  and  the  city  councilors  had  been  tried,  and  ac- 
quitted, according  to  the  very  terms  of  the  warrant  issued 
for  their  apprehension  "before  some  other  justice  of  the 
peace."  The  Governor  had  been  kept  informed  concerning 
all  that  was  done  by  the  Saints  and  also  by  the  strife-breed- 
ers. The  General  called  upon  his  people  to  stand  by  him  to 
the  death  in  defense  of  their  rights  as  Americans.  After 
invoking  the  aid  of  all  "whose  hearts  thrill  with  horror  to 
behold  the  rights  of  freemen  trampled  under  foot,"  he  drew 
his  sword,  and,  pointing  it  heavenward,  exclaimed — 

"I  call  God  and  angels  to  witness  that  I  have  unsheathed 
my  sword  with  a  firm  and  unalterable  determination  that  this 
people  shall  have  their  legal  rights,  and  be  protected  from 
mob  violence,  or  my  blood  shall  be  spilt  upon  the  ground  like 
water,  and  my  body  consigned  to  the  silent  tomb.  While  I 
live,  I  will  never  tamely  submit  to  the  dominion  of  cursed 
mobocracy.  I  would  welcome  death  rather  than  submit  to 
this  oppression ;  and  it  would  be  sweet,  oh,  sweet,  to  rest  in 


344  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

the  grave,  rather  than  submit  to  this  oppression,  agitation, 
annoyance,  confusion,  and  alarm  upon  alarm  any  longer." 
The  Prophet,  in  consequence  of  premonitions  as  to  his 
approaching  death,  requested  Hyrum  to  go  with  his  family 
to  Cincinnati,  that  he  might  succeed  him  in  the  Presidency 
of  the  Church.  But  the  faithful  Hyrum  would  not  leave  his 
brother  at  such  a  critical  moment.  The  apostles  who  were 
absent  on  missions  were  asked  to  return  home.  Every  prep- 
aration was  made  to  defend  the  city  should  any  attack  be 
made  against  it. 

"Like  a  Lamb  to  the  Slaughter." 

On  the  21st  of  June  word  reached  Joseph  from  the  Governor 
to  the  effect  that  the  executive  had  arrived  at  Carthage 
and  that  he  requested  a  conference  with  persons  whom  the 
Prophet  might  wish  to  send.  John  Taylor  and  Dr.  John  M. 
Bernhisel  were  chosen.  They  were  familiar  with  all  that  had 
been  done  in  the  recent  troubles,  and  were  furnished,  more- 
over, with  documents  that  would  set  the  Governor  right.  Up- 
on reaching  Carthage,  which  they  did  towards  midnight, 
they  went  to  the  Hamilton  hotel,  where  Governor  Ford  also 
stayed.  On  two  different  occasions  they  were  disturbed  by 
men  who  endeavored,  by  falsehood  and  deceit,  to  get  the 
brethren  separated;  for  they  suspected  that  the  approach- 
ing conference  with  his  Excellency  would  prove  fatal  to  their 
schemes. 

Next  morning  the  messengers  were  invited  into  the  Gov- 
ernor's rooms.  They  were  surprised  and  disgusted  to  find 
him  surrounded  by  "some  of  the  vilest  and  most  unprin- 
cipled men."  Among  them  were  Wilson  and  William  Law, 
Foster,  the  Higbees,  and  a  dozen  or  fifteen  others,  either 
apostates  or  bitter  and  avowed  enemies  of  the  "Mormons." 
They  laid  their  case  before  Governor  Ford,  and  invited  him 
to  inspect  the  documents,  which  they  placed  in  his  hands. 


THE  SEED  OF   THE   CHURCH  345 

During  their  relation  of  the  facts,  they  "were  frequently, 
rudely,  and  impudently  contradicted  by  the  fellows  he  had 
around  him,  of  whom  he  seemed  to  take  no  notice."  The 
Governor  himself,  as  he  read  aloud  some  of  the  papers 
handed  him,  was  interrupted  by,  "That's  a  lie !"  or  "That's 
an  infernal  falsehood!"  There  was  little  probability  there- 
fore, that  Governor  Ford,  surrounded  by  such  counselors, 
would  be  impressed  by  the  conversation  of  the  brethren.  The 
Governor  seemed  bent  on  having  Joseph  come  to  Carthage, 
as  the  only  means  of  "satisfying  the  people,"  and  when  it 
was  represented  to  him  that  their  lives  would  thereby  be 
endangered,  he  pledged  his  faith  and  that  of  the  state  that 
they  would  be  protected.  Returning  to  Nauvoo,  they  re- 
ported to  the  Prophet. 

On  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  Joseph,  Hyrum,  and  one 
or  two  others  crossed  the  river  with  a  view  to  going  to  the 
Rocky  mountains.  They  had  decided  to  do  this  from  a  con- 
viction that  it  was  only  they  two  that  their  enemies  wanted 
just  then,  and  that  if  they  absented  themselves  from  the  city 
the  people  would  not  for  a  time  be  disturbed.  But  they  were 
prevented  from  taking  this  step  by  the  importunities  of  their 
supposed  friends,  not  to  desert  their  posts  in  this  manner 
and  invite  certain  butchery  to  their  people.  So  they  returned 
to  Nauvoo,  Joseph  saying.  "If  my  life  is  of  no  value  to  my 
friends,  it  is  of  none  to  myself!" 

During  their  absence  over  the  river,  a  posse  from  Car- 
thage had  come  to  arrest  the  Prophet  and  others  named 
in  the  warrant ;  but  returned,  when  they  discovered  that  the 
brethren  were  not  in  the  city.  Concerning  this  act  Governor 
Ford  has  a  luminous  passage  in  his  account  of  the  affair. 
"The  constable,"  he  says,  "made  no  effort  to  arrest  any  of 
them,  nor  would  he  or  the  guard  delay  their  departure 
[from  Nauvoo]  one  minute  beyond  the  time,  to  see  whether 
an  arrest  could  be  made.    Upon  their  return  [to  Carthage] 


346  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

they  reported  that  they  had  been  informed  that  the  ac- 
cused had  fled,  and  could  not  be  found.  I  immediately  pro- 
posed to  a  council  of  officers  to  march  into  Nauvoo  with  the 
small  force  then  under  my  command,  but  the  officers  were 
of  the  opinion  that  it  was  too  small,  and  many  of  them  in- 
sisted upon  a  further  call  of  the  militia.  I  was  soon  informed 
however,  of  the  conduct  of  the  constable  and  guard,  and 
then  I  was  perfectly  satisfied  that  a  most  base  fraud  had  been 
attempted,  that,  in  fact,  it  was  feared  that  the  Mormons 
would  submit,  and  thereby  entitle  themselves  to  the  protec- 
tion of  the  law.  It  was  very  apparent  that  many  of  the 
bustling,  active  spirits  were  afraid  that  there  would  be  no 
occasion  for  calling  out  an  overwhelming  militia  force,  for 
marching  into  Nauvoo,  for  probable  mutiny  when  there,  and 
for  the  extermination  of  the  Mormon  race.  It  appeared  that 
the  constable  and  the  escort  were  fully  in  the  secret,  and 
acted  well  their  part  to  promote  the  conspiracy." 

And  so  Joseph  and  Hyrum  determined  to  go  to  Car- 
thage. They  wrote  a  letter  to  Governor  Ford,  in  which  they 
stated  that  their  only  objection  to  being  tried  at  Carthage 
was  a  fear  that  their  lives  would  not  be  safe,  but  that  if  the 
Governor  assured  them  of  his  protection,  they  would  imme- 
diately repair  thither.  Late  that  night  Theodore  Turley 
and  Jedediah  M.  Grant,  who  had  been  sent  with  the  letter 
to  the  Governor,  returned  with  the  statement  that  if  Joseph 
and  Hyrum  were  not  at  Carthage  next  day,  Nauvoo  would 
be  attacked  by  an  armed  force.  But  the  brethren  had  al- 
ready determined  to  go  there,  come  what  might.  Next 
morning  they  left  their  beloved  city  and  proceeded  to  Car- 
thage. 

"This  is  the  loveliest  place  and  the  best  people  under  the 
heavens,''  remarked  the  Prophet  as  he  feasted  his  eyes  upon 
the  temple  and  the  city ;  "little  do  they  know  the  trials  that 
await  them."    And  on  reaching  Daniel  H.  Wells's  home,  he 


THE   SEED  OF  THE  CHURCH  347 

stepped  into  the  house  to  bid  him  good-bye.  "I  wish  you  to 
cherish  my  memory,"  he  said,  "and  not  think  me  the  worst 
man  in  the  world  either."  A  few  miles  from  Carthage  they 
met  a  company  of  mounted  militiamen  on  their  way  to  Nau- 
voo  with  an  order  from  Governor  Ford  to  demand  the  state 
arms  in  the  possession  of  the  legion.  At  Captain  Dun's  re- 
quest Joseph  and  his  brethren  returned  to  the  city.  It  was 
at  the  time  of  meeting  these  troops  that  the  Prophet  said — 

"I  am  going  like  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter ;  but  I  am  calm 
as  a  summer's  morning ;  I  have  a  conscience  void  of  offense 
towards  God,  and  towards  all  men.  I  shall  die  innocent,  and 
it  shall  yet  be  said  of  me — he  was  murdered  in  cold  blood." 

After  the  collection  of  the  state  arms,  the  company  of 
militia  with  the  "Mormon"  party  started  for  Carthage.  As 
they  passed  the  masonic  hall,  Joseph  said  to  a  number  of 
men  who  had  gathered  there ;  "Boys,  if  I  don't  come  back, 
take  care  of  yourselves.  I  am  going  like  a  lamb  to  the 
slaughter."  And  later  when  they  passed  the  Prophet's  farm, 
he  lingered  behind  to  look  at  it.  Some  one  remarking  upon 
his  action,  he  said,  "If  some  of  you  had  such  a  farm,  and 
knew  you  would  not  see  it  any  more,  you  would  want  to  take 
a  good  look  at  it  for  the  last  time." 

Towards  midnight  they  reached  Carthage.  "Great  ex- 
citement," says  President  Taylor,  who  was  with  the  party, 
"prevailed  on  and  after  our  arrival.  The  Governor  had  re- 
ceived into  his  company  all  of  the  companies  that  had  been 
in  the  mob,  these  fellows  were  riotous  and  disorderly,  halloo- 
ing, yelling,  and  whooping  about  the  streets  like  Indians, 
many  of  them  intoxicated;  the  whole  presented  a  scene  of 
rowdyism  and  low-bred  ruffianism  only  found  among  mobo- 
crats  and  desperadoes,  and  entirely  revolting  to  the  best  feel- 
ings of  humanity."  That  night  they  rested  at  the  Hamilton. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  contention  of  the  author- 
ities at  Carthage  was  that  Joseph  and  the  city  councilors 


348  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

must  be  tried  by  Morrison,  the  justice  who  issued  the  war- 
rant.   No  other  justice  would  answer  the  purpose.    But  the 
day  after  their  arrival  at  Carthage  they  were  taken  before  a 
Justice  Smith,  who  was  also  captain  of  the  Carthage  Greys ; 
but  they  were  released  on  heavy  bail.    Later,  however,  Jos- 
eph and  Hyrum  were  arrested  for  treason  on  a  writ  sworn 
out  by  two  apostates   named   Spencer   and   Norton — "two 
worthless  fellows,"  says  Elder  Taylor,  "whose  words  would 
not  have  been  taken  for  five  cents,  and  the  first  of  whom  had 
a  short  time  previously  been  before  the  mayor  in  Nauvoo  for 
maltreating  a  lame  brother."    On  this  charge  they  were  re- 
manded to  prison,  first  occupying  a  cell,  but  afterwards  what 
was  called  the  debtors'  ward.     Governor  Ford  declares  that 
the  brethren  were  placed  here  for  the  purpose  of  better  pre- 
serving their  lives,  but  they  strongly  objected  to  being  con- 
fined there.     On  the  morning  of  the  26th  Governor  Ford 
and  Joseph  had  a  lengthy  interview,  in  which  the  whole  sit- 
uation was  gone  over  by  the  latter  at  the  Governor's  request. 
It  was  on  this  occasion  that  the  executive  promised  to  take 
Joseph  with  him  to  Nauvoo,  if  he  went,  as  was  his  intention 
then.    He  also  renewed  his  pledge  to  furnish  him  the  neces- 
sary protection   from   mob  violence.     That   afternoon   the 
prisoners  were  illegally  taken  from  the  jail  to  the  court  of 
Justice  Smith,  but  the  trial  was  postponed  till  the  27th,  which 
date  the  justice  afterwards  changed  to  the  29th,  in  order 
that,  as  Captain  of  the  Carthage  Greys,  he  might  accompany 
Governor  Ford  to  Nauvoo.    The  brethren  were  taken  back 
to  jail. 

That  night  the  seven  men  in  prison — Joseph  and  Hyrum 
Smith,  John  Taylor,  Willard  Richards,  John  S.  Fullmer, 
Stephen  Markham,  and  Dan  Jones— spent  in  as  pleasant  a 
way  as  circumstances  would  allow.  After  the  rest  had  re- 
tired, which  they  did  at  a  late  hour,  Brother  Richards  sat  up 
writing  as  long  as  his  candles  would  permit.     Joseph  and 


THE   SEED  OF  THE   CHURCH  349 

Hyrum  lay  on  the  only  bedstead  in  the  room,  the  others  were 
stretched  out  on  the  floor.  But  it  appears  that  there  was  not 
much  sleep  on  the  part  of  any  of  them.  The  Prophet  es- 
pecially, who  under  every  other  peril  of  his  perilous  life  had 
exhibited  such  a  calm  demeanor,  appeared  to  entertain  grave 
apprehensions  concerning  his  safety.  During  the  night  a 
gunshot  outside  broke  the  stillness,  which  caused  Joseph  to 
exchange  his  place  in  the  bed  for  one  on  the  floor  between 
Elders  Jones  and  Fullmer. 

''Lay  your  head  on  my  arm  for  a  pillow,  Brother  Full- 
mer," he  said ;  after  which  the  two  carried  on  a  conversation 
in  an  undertone. 

"I  would  like  to  see  my  family  again,"  he  remarked, 
among  other  misgivings  as  to  his  fate.  "I  would  to  God  that 
I  might  preach  to  the  Saints  in  Nauvoo  once  more."  Then  a 
silence,  and  presently,  to  Dan  Jones — 

"Are  you  afraid  to  die?" 

"Do  you  think  that  time  has  come?  Engaged  in  such  a 
cause  I  do  not  think  death  would  have  many  terrors." 

"You  will  yet  see  Wales,  and  fill  the  mission  appointed 
you,  before  you  die,"  the  Prophet  said. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th,  Governor  Ford  went  to 
Nauvoo,  but  he  did  not  take  the  Prophet  because  at  a  council 
his  officers  had  deemed  it  "highly  inexpedient  and  danger- 
ous" for  them  to  do  so.  He  had  dismissed  all  of  the  twe've 
or  thirteen  hundred  troops  at  Carthage,  except  three  com- 
panies, one  of  which  now  accompanied  him  to  Nauvoo,  and 
the  other  two — the  Carthage  Greys — were  left  to  guard  the 
jail.  On  reaching  the  city,  he  delivered  an  address  before  a 
body  of  people  variously  estimated  at  from  one  to  five  thou- 
sand, which  appears  not  to  have  been  much  to  the  liking  of 
his  hearers,  as,  according  to  his  own  words,  they  were  rather 
impatient  at  his  harangue.  And  no  wonder,  for  he  warned 
them  against  creating  any  disturbance  lest  the  whole  country 
come  down  upon  them. 


350  ONE    HUNDRED  YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

Meantime,  at  Carthage,  the  day  passed  away  quietly 
enough  for  the  prisoners.  It  was  now  approaching  late 
afternoon.  Elders  Markham,  Fullmer,  and  Jones  had  left 
the  jail,  the  last  having  been  refused  admittance  once  he  had 
gone  out,  the  first  having  been  forcibly  helped  on  his  horse 
and  driven  out  of  town  at  the  muzzle  of  a  gun,  though  he 
held  a  passport,  signed  by  the  Governor,  permitting  him  to 
go  in  and  out  of  the  jail  at  pleasure.  The  four  brethren,  now 
confined,  felt  "unusually  dull  and  languid,  with  a  remarkable 
depression  of  spirits."  Brother  Taylor  sang  twice  a  hymn, 
lately  introduced  into  Nauvoo,  "A  Poor  Wayfaring  Man  of 
Grief,"  the  second  time  at  the  request  of  Hyrum. 

Soon  after  this,  Elder  Taylor,  on  looking  out  of  the  win- 
dow, saw  a  number  of  men  with  blackened  faces  coming  to- 
wards the  jail.  Instantly  Dr.  Richards  and  Hyrum  sprang 
to  the  door  pressing  their  shoulders  against  it.  The  mob  as- 
cended the  stairway,  pushed  on  the  door,  and  finding  that 
they  could  not  get  in,  fired  through  the  keyhole.  Presently 
another  shot  came  through  the  door,  striking  Hyrum  on  the 
left  side  of  the  nose.  At  the  same  time  another  ball  from  the 
outside  struck  him,  passing  through  his  body.  This  last 
came  from  the  window  and  was  doubtless  fired  by  one  of  the 
Carthage  greys,  the  company  placed  there  to  protect  the  pris- 
oners from  violence!  Hyrum  fell,  exclaiming — "I  am  a 
dead  man!" 

Joseph,  with  grief  indescribable  overspreading  his  coun- 
tenance, approached  the  body  of  his  brother,  bent  over  it,  and 
cried,  "Oh !  my  poor,  dear  brother  Hyrum !"  But  instantly 
recovering  himself,  he  stepped  quickly,  firmly  to  the  door, 
with  determined  countenance,  and,  pulling  from  his  pocket  a 
six-shooter  left  him  by  Brother  Wheelock,  opened  the  door 
slightly,  snapped  it  six  times  successively,  three  barrels  of 
which  were  discharged.  This  done,  he  stepped  back,  where- 
upon the  mob  clambered  up  farther  on  the  stairs  and  dis- 


THE  SEED  OF  THE   CHURCH  351 

charged  their  guns  into  the  room,  Elder  Taylor  parrying 
them  off  with  a  stick.  Great  streams  of  fire  came  through 
the  doorway.  The  crowd  below  grew  every  instant,  and  it  ap- 
peared that  in  a  moment  the  mob  would  break  into  the  room. 

Elder  Taylor  at  this  point  went  to  the  window  with  the 
intention  of  leaping  out,  when  a  ball  struck  him  in  the  thigh 
and  he  fell  forward,  and  would  have  gone  out  of  the  window 
but  for  another  shot  which  struck  his  watch  and  caused  him 
to  fall  inside  the  room.  He  crawled  under  the  bed,  being 
wounded  in  three  places  while  doing  so. 

The  Prophet  afterwards  attempted  to  leap  out  of  the 
window,  when  two  balls  pierced  him  and  he  fell  outward  ex- 
claiming— 

"OLord,  my  God!" 

At  this  instant  the  mob  outside  shouted,  "He's  leaped  the 
window !"  and  immediately  the  crowd  left  the  stairway.  This 
probably  saved  Elder  Richards's  life,  since  he  was  thus  far 
unhurt.  The  Doctor  started  for  the  door  to  learn  whether 
the  doors  into  the  prison  were  unbarred,  when  Elder  Taylor 
spoke  up — 

"Stop,  Doctor,  take  me  along."  He  did  so,  and  the 
wounded  man  was  dragged  into  a  narrow  cell  prepared  for 
criminals. 

"Oh,  Brother  Taylor,"  exclaimed  Dr.  Richards,  "is  it 
possible  that  they  have  killed  both  Brother  Hyrum  and  Jos- 
eph ?  It  cannot  surely  be,  and  yet  I  saw  them  shoot  them." 
And  raising  his  hands  two  or  three  times,  he  cried  out,  "O 
Lord,  my  God,  spare  thy  servants." 

"Brother  Taylor,"  he  said,  covering  him  with  a  filthy 
mattress,  "this  is  a  terrible  event!  I  am  sorry  I  can  do  no 
better  for  you.  You  may  yet  live  to  tell  the  tale,  but  I  expect 
they  will  kill  me  in  a  few  minutes. 

But  the  fiendish  murder  was  accomplished.  In  three  min- 
utes the  mob  had  done  its  work — killed  the  Prophet  and  Pa- 


352  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS  OF    MORMON  ISM 

triarch,  and  critically  wounded  Apostle  Taylor.  Then  they 
fled  in  consternation  from  the  scene  of  the  butchery.  Not 
only  they  but  the  people  in  the  town  and  its  environments 
made  a  precipitate  flight,  and  the  only  persons  left  at  Car- 
thage were  Dr.  Richards,  the  hotel-keeper,  and  one  other, 
besides  the  dead  and  wounded.  The  wicked  fled,  but  no 
man  pursued,  or  thought  of  pursuing. 

A  8  o'clock  a  messenger  was  despatched  to  Nauvoo  with 
a  note  signed  by  Elders  Richards  and  Taylor,  announcing 
the  assassination  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum.  But  the  mes- 
senger was  prevented  from  entering  the  town  by  the  Gover- 
nor's troops,  and  brought  back  to  Carthage.  So  that  the 
news  did  not  reach  the  city  till  next  morning.  On  the  Gov- 
ernor's arrival  at  the  scene  of  the  murder,  Dr.  Richards  sent 
a  message  to  Nauvoo,  in  which  occur  these  words  — 

'T  say  to  all  citizens  of  Nauvoo — My  brethren,  be  still, 
and  know  that  God  reigns.  Don't  rush  out  of  the  city — 
don't  rush  to  Carthage — stay  at  home  and  be  prepared  for 
an  attack  from  Missouri  mobbers." 

Then  the  Governor  fled  to  Quincy  with  undignified  haste. 

On  the  28th  the  bodies  of  the  Prophet  and  Patriarch 
were  taken  to  Nauvoo.  A  concourse  of  people  met  them 
outside  the  city.  "The  women  broke  out  in  lamentations," 
says  an  ear  witness  "at  the  sight  of  the  two  rude  boxes  in  the 
wagon  covered  by  an  Indian  blanket.  The  weeping  was 
communicated  to  the  crowd,  and  spread  along  the  vast  waves 
of  humanity  extending  from  the  temple  to  the  residence  of 
the  Prophet.  The  groans  and  sobs  and  shrieks  grew  deeper 
and  louder,  till  the  sound  resembled  the  roar  of  a  mighty 
tempest,  or  the  slow,  deep  roar  of  the  distant  tornado."  Ar- 
rived at  the  mansion  house,  the  bodies  were  prepared  for 
burial,  and  twenty  thousand  people  looked  upon  the  faces  of 
the  dead. 

There  was  a  public  burial  at  the  cemetery,  but  only  bags 


THE  SEED  OF  THE   CHURCH  353 

of  sand  were  deposited  in  the  graves.  The  real  bodies  were 
buried  in  the  unfinished  Nauvoo  house  at  dead  of  night  by 
only  a  few  who  knew  the  secret.  In  the  fall  of  that  year, 
however,  they  were  taken  up  and  interred  in  the  rear  of  the 
house  where  Joseph  had  lived. 

At  the  October  term  of  the  Hancock  circuit  court,  the 
grand  jury  brought  in  two  indictments  against  nine  persons. 
The  trial  occurred  in  May,  1845,  extending  from  the  ninth 
to  the  thirtieth,  and  the  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of  "Not 
guilty."  Judge  Young,  in  his  charge  to  the  jury,  said  among 
other  things,  that,  "when  the  evidence  is  circumstantial,  ad- 
mitting all  to  be  proven  which  the  evidence  tends  to  prove,  if 
then  the  jury  can  make  any  suppositions  consistent  with  the 
facts,  by  which  the  murder  might  have  been  committed  with- 
out the  agency  of  the  defendants,  it  will  be  their  duty  to 
make  that  supposition,  and  find  the  defendants  not  guilty." 

"During  the  progress  of  the  trial/'  declares  Governor 
Ford  in  his  account,  "the  judge  was  compelled  to  permit  the 
courthouse  to  be  filled  and  surrounded  by  armed  bands,  who 
attended  court  to  browbeat  and  overawe  the  administration 
of  justice.  The  judge  himself  was  in  duress,  and  informed 
me  that  he  did  not  consider  his  life  secure  any  part  of  the 
time." 

Thus  the  case  was  ended.  But  "there  was  not  a  man  on 
the  jury,  in  the  court,  in  the  eountry,  that  did  not  know  the 
defendants  had  done  the  murder.  But  it  was  not  proven, 
and  the  verdict  of  not  guilty  was  right  in  law."  "The  elis- 
ors," says  John  Hay,  the  late  Secretary  of  State,  from  whom 
the  preceding  sentence  is  quoted,  "presented  ninety-nine  men 
before  twelve  were  found  ignorant  enough  and  indifferent 
enough  to  act  as  jurors." 

Joseph  and  Hyrum  "were  innocent  of  any  crime,  as  they 
had  often  been  proved  before,  and  were  only  confined  in  jail 
by  the  conspiracy  of  traitors  and  wicked  men ;  and  their  in- 


354  ONE   HUNDRED  YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

nocent  blood  on  the  floor  of  Carthage  jail,  is  a  broad  seal 
affixed  to  'Mormonism'  that  cannot  be  rejected  by  any  court 
on  earth ;  and  their  innocent  blood  on  the  escutcheon  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  with  the  broken  faith  of  the  state  as  pledged 
by  the  governor,  is  a  witness  to  the  truth  of  the  everlasting 
Gospel,  that  all  the  world  cannot  impeach ;  and  their  inno- 
cent blood  on  the  banner  of  liberty,  and  on  the  magna  charta 
of  the  United  States,  is  an  ambassador  for  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ,  that  will  touch  the  hearts  of  honest  men  among- 
all  nations ;  and  their  innocent  blood,  with  the  innocent  blood 
of  all  the  martyrs  under  the  altar  that  John  saw,  will  cry  un- 
to the  Lord  of  hosts,  till  he  avenges  that  blood  on  the  earth." 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE    ENIGMA    OF    PALMYRA 

In  the  "Arabian  Nights'  Entertainment"  there  is  a  story  of 
a  man  who  approached  the  door  of  a  cave,  "a  large  chamber, 
well  lighted  from  the  top,  and  in  it  all  sorts  of  provisions, 
rich  bales  of  silk,  stuff, brocade,  and  carpeting,  gold  and  silver 
ingots  in  great  heaps,  and  money  in  bags."  Now,  Cassim — 
for  that  was  the  man's  name — had  greed  and  murder  in  his 
heart,  which,  together  with  the  excitement  he  was  under  at 
finding  such  a  rich  treasure,  made  him  forget  the  charm  by 
which  alone  it  might  be  obtained.  "Open  barley,"  he  cried, 
"open  rye,"  and  so  on  till  he  had  exhausted  his  memory  of 
the  grains.  "Sesame"  was  the  only  one  he  could  not  re- 
member, and  "Sesame"  was  the  only  word  to  which  the  door 
of  this  chamber  of  fabulous  wealth  flew  open.  And  so  it 
was  to  him  as  though  it  had  not  been. 

It  is  something  after  this  fashion  that  a  great  many  peo- 
ple approach  the  door  of  the  treasure  of  truth  locked  up  in 
the  soul  of  "Mormonism,s"  earthly  founder.  The  hate  and 
bitterness  and  evil  purposes  lurking  in  their  hearts,  or  a  pre- 
disposition to  make  the  facts  fit  their  theory,  often  indeed 
showing  upon  their  face  and  general  appearance,  cause  them 
to  forget  the  charmed  words  by  which  alone  that  treasure- 
house  will  pour  forth  its  precious  contents.  "Open  im- 
postor," they  cry  out  in  their  overflowing  venom,  "open  de- 
ceiver, false  prophet,  base  man !"  But  to  them  the  door  re- 
mains forever  sealed.    It  opens  only  to  "Man  of  God  !" 

When,  may  we  ask,  abandoning  this  figure  of  speech, 
has  Hate  ever  penetrated  into  the  depth  of  the  human  soul 


356  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

and  brought  forth  anything  that  would  give  us  the  slightest 
hint  of  what  was  there  ?  When  has  the  steel-cold  glance  of 
enmity  ever  gone  farther  into  the  heart  of  man  than  the  sur- 
face, that  fickle  outside  which  never  can  be  depended  upon 
to  reveal  what  is  within?  When  has  the  spleen  of  enemies 
ever  given  us  a  clew  to  the  mysterious  workings  of  human 
motives,  which  alone  furnish  the  criterion  of  conduct?  And 
yet  this  is  the  attitude  in  which  nine-tenths  of  Joseph  Smith's 
critics  approach  the  study  of  his  character.  Before  they  ever 
begin  their  investigation  of  this  problem  they  securely  for- 
tify themselves  behind  the  conviction  that  he  is  a  religious 
fraud,  and  that  they  are  to  disclose  a  mass  of  deceit,  su- 
perstition, and  ignorance.  Is  it  any  marvel,  then,  that  they  see 
nothing  else?  They  come  to  him  prepared,  nay  in  some  in- 
stances determined,  to  see  nothing  else.  Everything  is  yel- 
low to  the  jaundiced  eye. 

The  enemies  of  the  "Mormon"  Prophet  and  of  the  work 
he  established  will  have  to  change  their  methods  of  question- 
ing this  man's  life.  First,  they  must  see  the  facts  of  his 
career  in  the  light,  not  of  his  personal  enemies,  but  rather  of 
his  friends,  and  of  those  also  who  have  no  purpose  to  serve. 
And  then  they  must  not  confound  those  facts  with  their  own 
or  others'  inferences.  Lastly,  they  must  view  those  inci- 
dents in  his  life  without  any  preconceived  notions;  in  other 
words  they  must  be  prepared  to  praise  the  good  they  find  as 
well  as  condemn  the  ill.  This  cannot  be  too  much  insisted 
upon.  In  what  light  do  the  Catholics  regard  the  heroic 
standing  of  the  great  Luther?  In  that  of  a  heretic,  the  in- 
strument of  darkness !  What  kind  of  biography,  think  you, 
the  Pharisaical  priests  would  have  written  of  Jesus?  And 
how  should  Christianity  be  explained  on  the  assumption  that 
its  founder  was  an  imposter  ?  Only  the  friends  of  the  mighty 
reformer  can  appreciate  the  sublime  struggle  for  good  that 
went  on  his  soul.     Only  Christ's  disciples  could  understand 


THE   ENIGMA   OF   PALMYRA  357 

the  marvelous  facts  of  his  earthly  career.  And,  in  like  man- 
ner, only  the  followers  of  the  latter-day  Prophet  can  com- 
prehend his  unselfish  devotion  to  duty  and  truth. 

In  the  light  of  these  reflections,  let  us  examine  a  few  in- 
cidents in  the  life  of  the  Prophet  Joseph ;  his  dealings  with 
his  fellow-men,  and  the  sentiments  and  feelings  he  inspired 
in  those  who  knew  him  best. 

"A  man  of  commanding  appearance,"  is  Josiah  Quincy's 
description  of  the  great  Prophet  in  1844,  in  the  full  flush  of 
his  maturity.  And  elsewhere  he  declares :  "A  fine-looking 
man  is  what  the  passer-by  would  instinctively  have  mur- 
mured upon  meeting  the  remarkable  individual  who  had 
fashioned  the  mould  which  was  to  shape  the  feelings  of  so 
many  thousands  of  his  fellow-mortals.  But  Smith  was  more 
than  this,  and  one  could  not  resist  the  impression  that  ca- 
pacity and  resource  were  natural  to  his  stalwart  person."  Of 
all  men  whom  Mr.  Quincy  had  met,  and  the  range  of  his  ac- 
quaintance with  great  men  was  very  wide,  Joseph  was  one  of 
the  two  men  he  could  name  who  "seemed  best  endowed  with 
that  kingly  faculty  which  directs,  as  by  intrinsic  right,  the 
feeble  o'r  confused  souls  who  are  looking  for  guidance."  He 
speaks  also  of  "the  impression  of  rugged  power  that  was 
given  by  the  man."  "The  Prophet,"  wrote  an  English  trav- 
eler, in  1843,  "is  a  kind,  cheerful,  sociable  companion.  I  be- 
lieve that  he  has  the  good-will  of  the  community  at  large,  and 
that  he  is  ever  ready  to  stand  by  and  defend  them  in  any  ex- 
tremity; and  as  I  saw  the  Prophet  and  his  brother  Hyrum 
conversing  together  one  day,  I  thought  I  beheld  two  of  the 
greatest  men  of  the  nineteenth  century."  An  officer  of  the 
United  States  artillery,  who  visited  Nauvoo  in  1842,  said, 
"The  Smiths  are  not  without  talent.  Joseph  the  chief  is  a 
noble-looking  fellow,  a  Mahomet  every  inch  of  him."  And 
a  member  of  Congress,  after  meeting  the  Prophet  at  Wash- 
ington, wrote  home  to  his  wife,  "He  is  apparently  from  forty 


358  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

to  forty-five  years  of  age,  rather  above  the  middle  stature, 
and  what  the  ladies  would  call  a  very  good-looking  man.  In 
his  garb  there  are  no  peculiarities,  his  dress  being  that  of  a 
plain,  unpretending  citizen.  He  is  by  profession  a  farmer, 
but  is  evidently  well-read."  Speaking  of  his  address  in  gen- 
eral this  same  Congressman  further  observes  that  "every- 
thing he  says  is  in  a  manner  to  leave  an  impression  that  he  is 
sincere.  There  is  no  levity,  no  fanaticism,  no  want  of  dig- 
nity in  his  deportment."  A  Masonic  grand  master  said  of 
the  Prophet  in  the  Advocate:  "With  Joseph  Smith,  the  hos- 
pitality of  whose  house  I  kindly  received,  I  was  well  pleased. 
Of  course,  on  the  subject  of  religion  we  widely  differed,  but 
he  appeared  to  be  quite  as  willing  to  permit  me  to  enjoy  my 
right  of  opinion  as  I  think  we  all  ought  to  be  to  let  Mor- 
mons enjoy  theirs.  But  instead  of  the  ignorant  and  tryan- 
nical  upstart,  judge  my  surprise  at  finding  him  a  sensible, 
intelligent  companion  and  gentlemanly  man  ....  He 
is  a  fine-looking  man,  about  thirty-six  years  of  age,  and  has 
an  interesting  family." 

All  this  is  from  intelligent  and  educated  gentlemen,  non- 
"Mormons,"  who  were  accustomed  to  careful  and  accurate 
observation  of  facts  and  persons.  We  turn  now  to  the  esti- 
mation in  which  he  was  held  by  his  own  people. 

The  late  President  George  Q.  Cannon,  who  was  a  youth 
at  the  time  of  Nauvoo's  glory,  writes  in  his  Life  of  Joseph 
Smith  :"He  was  during  this  period  a  man  of  great  physical 
beauty  and  stateliness.  He  was  just  six  feet  in  height,  stand- 
ing in  his  stockings,  and  was  grandly  proportioned.  In  his 
mature  years  he  weighed  about  two  hundred  pounds.  His 
eyes  were  blue  and  tender ;  his  hair  was  brown,  plentiful,  and 
wavy ;  he  wore  no  beard,  and  his  complexion  was  one  of 
transparency  so  rare  as  to  be  remarkable ;  the  exquisite  clear- 
ness of  his  skin  was  never  clouded,  his  face  being  naturally 
almost  without  hair.    His  carriage  was  erect  and  graceful; 


THE   ENIGMA   OF   PALMYRA  359 

lie  moved  always  with  an  air  of  dignity  and  power  which 
strangers  often  called  kingly.  He  was  full  of  physical 
energy  and  daring.  Without  any  appearance  of  effort  he 
could  perform  astonishing  feats  of  strength  and  agility ;  and 
without  any  apparent  thought  of  fear  he  met  and  smiled 
upon  every  physical  danger." 

Apostle  Amasa  Lyman,  in  referring  to  the  impressions 
made  upon  him,  in  1833,  by  a  meeting  with  the  Prophet  at 
Kirtland,  Ohio,  says :  "Of  the  impressions  produced  I  will 
here  say,  although  there  was  nothing  strange  or  different 
from  other  men  in  his  personal  appearance,  yet,  when  he 
grasped  my  hand  in  that  cordial  way  (known  to  those  who 
have  met  him  in  the  honest  simplicity  of  truth) ,  I  felt  as  one 
oi  old  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord ;  my  strength  seemed  to  be 
gone,  so  that  it  required  an  effort  on  my  part  to  stand  on  my 
feet ;  but  in  all  there  was  no  fear,  but  the  serenity  and  peace 
of  heaven  prevaded  my  soul,  and  the  still  small  voice  of  the 
Spirit  whispered  its  living  testimony  in  the  depths  of  my 
soul,  where  it  has  ever  remained,  that  he  was  a  man  of 
God." 

Apostle  Parley  P.  Pratt,  who  also  knew  the  Prophet 
long  and  intimately,  after  a  description  of  his  personal  ap- 
pearance, says :  "He  possessed  a  noble  boldness  and  inde- 
pendence of  character,  his  manner  was  easy  and  familiar ;  his 
rebuke  terrible  as  the  lion ;  his  benevolence  unbounded  as  the 
ocean ;  his  intelligence  universal,  and  his  language  abounding 
in  original  eloquence  peculiar  to  himself — not  polished — not 
studied — not  smoothed  and  softened  by  education  and  re- 
fined by  art ;  but  flowing  forth  in  its  own  native  simplicity, 
and  profusely  abounding  in  variety  of  subject  and  manner. 
He  interested  and  edified,  while,  at  the  same  time,  he  amused 
and  entertained  his  audience ;  and  none  listened  to  him  who 
were  ever  weary  with  his  discourse.  I  have  even  known  him 
to  retain  a  congregation  of  willing  and  anxious  listeners  for 


360  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

many  hours  together,  in  the  midst  of  cold  or  sunshine,  rain 
or  wind,  while  they  were  laughing  at  one  moment  and  weep- 
ing the  next.  Even  his  most  bitter  enemies  were  generally 
overcome,  if  he  could  once  get  their  ears." 

These  testimonies  will  be  sufficient  to  establish  some  im- 
portant facts  concerning  Joseph  Smith's  appearance  and  gen- 
eral character.  There  does  not  exist,  to  our  knowledge,  any 
statements  to  contradict  this  uniform  testimony ;  at  least  no- 
statements  at  first  hand.  There  are  a  great  many  people  in 
the  world  who  entertain  very  different  notions  concerning 
the  Prophet's  looks  and  character,  but  these  are  deductions 
of  what  they  have  heard  his  religious  opponents  say  of  his 
teachings,  which  have  usually  been  described  as  being  ex- 
ceedingly unlovely.  We  may  now  go  with  greater  detail  into 
the  facts  of  his  life. 

We  have  already  seen  that  there  was  nothing  peculiar 
about  his  dress.  This  was  always  a  matter  of.  comment  by 
those  who  had  heard  of  his  claims  to  being  a  prophet.  They 
expected  to  see  some  fantastic  display,  gaudy  robes,  a  variety 
of  colors,  or  what  not.  But  instead  they  saw  only  the  dress 
of  a  common  citizen.  Mr.  Quincy  says  that  when  he  visited 
him  at  Nauvoo  in  1844  he  was  "clad  in  the  costume  of  a 
journeyman  carpenter  when  about  his  work,"  and  thaf'he 
wore  striped  pantaloons,  a  linen  jacket,  which  had  not  lately 
seen  the  washtub,  and  a  beard  of  some  three  days'  growth." 
On  the  Sabbath  day  he  was  dressed  no  better  and  no  worse 
than  scores  of  other  men  at  Nauvoo.  All  this  is  a  strong 
refutation,  not  only  of  the  notions  that  he  was  peculiarly 
dressed,  but  also  of  the  idea  that  some  anti-"Mormon" 
writers  would  have  us  believe  of  his  being  arrayed  in  the 
highest  fashion  of  the  times, 

From  the  first  to  the  last  of  his  troubled  career,  he  was 
jovial  and  cheerful.  This  is  admitted  by  those  who  can  find 
nothing  else  in  his  character  to  praise.    His  face  always  wore 


THE   ENIGMA   OF   PALMYRA  361 

a  smile,  and  he  ever  had  a  glad  word  for  the  depressed.  It  is 
difficult  to  imagine  how  he  could  have  borne  the  weight  of 
care,  anxiety,  and  persecution  that  was  his  lot,  if  it  had  not 
been  for  his  extraordinary  buoyancy  of  spirits.  He  was  ar- 
rested some  forty  times  on  various  charges,  and,  though 
never  once  convicted  of  an  offence  even  when  his  enemies 
were  judges  and  jurors,  spent  several  months  in  prison ;  he 
was  tarred  and  feathered  while  in  the  hands  of  his  foes ;  he 
was  several  times  in  peril  of  his  life,  having  been  sentenced 
to  be  shot ;  he  was  forced  to  remain  in  concealment  among 
his  friends,  going  from  house  to  house  and  narrowly  escap- 
ing his  unjust  pursuers;  and  at  last  he  found  a  martyr's 
grave  before  he  was  thirty-nine  years  old.  And  yet,  in  the 
midst  of  this  excessively  unquiet  career,  he  was  unusually 
cheerful.  Indeed,  if  he  had  not  been,  his  soul  would  have 
been  overwhelmed  by  the  force  of  personal  distress,  to  say 
nothing  of  that  which,  in  a  way,  he  was  responsible  for  in 
the  people  he  led. 

At  once  an  aid  to  his  buoyant  disposition  and  a  result  of  it, 
was  his  love  for  athletic  sports.  This  was  manifest  through- 
out his  life.  "He  loved  to  unbend  and  wrestle  or  jump  with 
a  friend.  The  men  who  could  contest  with  him  were  very 
few.  He  could  stand  and  leap  over  a  bar  higher  than  his 
head."  Once  two  ministers,  whom  he  had  conquered  in  de- 
bate, were  greatly  shocked  at  being  invited  by  him  to  "jump 
at  a  mark."  On  another  occasion,  while  the  Prophet  was  on 
his  way  from  Dixon  to  Nauvoo  in  charge  of  Reynolds  and 
Wilson,  one  of  the  lawyers  engaged  by  these  sheriffs,  who 
boasted  of  his  prowess  as  a  wrestler,  offered  to  wager  any 
sum  that  he  could  throw  any  man  in  Illinois  at  side-hold.  He 
and  Markham  wrestled  for  fun,  and  he  threw  Stephen.  At 
this  ignominious  defeat  of  one  of  his  party,  Joseph  said  to  a 
young  man  named  Philemon  C.  Merrill,  also  from  Nauvoo,, 
"Get  up  and  throw  that  man."    Merrill  rose  "filled  with  the 


362  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

strength  of  a  Samson,"  and  lifting  up  both  arms,  told  the 
lawyer  to  take  his  choice  of  sides. 

"Now,  Philemon,"  said  the  Prophet,  "when  I  count  three, 
throw  him !"  And  Philemon  did,  pitching  the  braggart  at- 
torney over  his  shoulder  on  to  the  ground. 

That  the  Prophet  possessed  a  fund  of  wit  and  humor 
might  almost  be  taken  for  granted.  Still  we  have  little  in 
the  way  of  incident  to  show  this  side  of  his  versatile  nature. 
Josiah  Quincy  gives  an  instance. 

"It  seems  to  me,  General,"  remarked  Mr.  Quincy,  as 
Joseph  was  driving  the  party  to  the  river  about  sunset,  "that 
you  have  too  much  power  to  be  safely  trusted  to  one  man." 

"In  your  hands  or  that  of  any  other  person,"  was  the  re- 
ply, "so  much  power  would,  no  doubt,  be  dangerous."  And 
then  he  added  "in  a  rich,  comical  aside,  as  if  in  hearty  recog- 
nition of  the  ridiculous  sound  the  words  might  have  in  the 
•ears  of  a  Gentile,"  "Remember,  I  am  a  Prophet !" 

Mr.  Quincy  gives  a  couple  of  examples  of  Joseph's  pow- 
ers of  repartee.  At  the  request  of  Dr.  Goforth,  one  of  the 
visiting  party,  the  Prophet  preached  a  sermon,  standing  on 
the  steps  leading  to  the  mansion,  to  a  few  people  in  the 
street.  He  was  asserting  that  baptism  is  essential  to  salva- 
tion. 

"Stop!"  said  a  Methodist  minister,  "who  thought  it  in- 
cumbent upon  him  to  question  the  soundness  of  certain  theo- 
logical positions  maintained  by  the  speaker.  "What  do  you 
say  to  the  penitent  thief?" 

"What  do  you  mean  ?"  inquired  the  Prophet. 

"You  know  our  Savior  said  to  the  thief,  This  day  shalt 
thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise,'  which  shows  he  could  not  have 
been  baptized  before  his  admission." 

"How  do  you  know  he  wasn't  baptized  before  he  be- 
came a  thief?"  Whereupon  "the  sort  of  laugh  that  is  pro- 
voked by  an  unexpected  hit  ran  through  the  audience;  but 


THE  ENIGMA  OF  PALMYRA  363 

this  demonstration  of  sympathy  was  rebuked  by  a  severe 
look  from  Smith,"  who  went  on  to  say: 

"But  that  is  not  the  true  answer.  In  the  original  Greek, 
the  word  that  has  been  translated  paradise  means  simply  a 
place  of  departed  spirits.  To  that  place  the  penitent  thief 
was  conveyed,  and  there,  doubtless,  he  received  the  baptism 
necessary  for  his  admission  to  the  heavenly  kingdom." 

And  so,  adds  Mr.  Quincy,  "the  other  objections  of  his 
antagonist  were  parried  with  similar  adroitness." 

Later  than  this,  the  party  were  passing  the  grove,  and 
Joseph  accounted  for  the  seats  and  platform  by  saying  that 
when  the  weather  permitted  services  were  held  there. 

"I  suppose,"  said  the  minister,  "none  but  Mormon  preach- 
ers are  allowed  in  Nauvoo." 

"On  the  contrary,"  was  the  reply,  "I  shall  be  very  happy 
to  have  you  address  my  people  next  Sunday,  and  I  will  in- 
sure you  a  most  attentive  congregation." 

"What!  do  you  mean  that  I  may  say  anything  I  please 
and  that  you  will  make  no  reply?" 

"You  may  certainly  say  anything  you  please,  but  I 
must  reserve  the  right  of  adding  a  word  or  two,  if  I  judge 
best.  I  promise  to  speak  of  you  in  the  most  respectful  man- 
ner." 

As  the  party  rode  back  there  was  more  disputing  between 
the  two. 

"Come,"  said  the  Prophet,  slapping  his  antagonist  on 
the  knee,  to  emphasize  the  production  of  a  triumphant  text, 
"if  you  can't  argue  better  than  that,  you  shall  say  all  you 
want  to  say  to  my  people,  and  I  will  promise  to  hold  my 
tongue,  for  there's  not  a  Mormon  among  them  who  would 
need  my  assistance  to  answer  you." 

Soon  after  this,  in  allusion  to  some  erroneous  doctrine, 
the  preacher  suddenly  exclaimed : 

"Why,   I  told  my   congregation  the  other   Sunday  that 


364  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

they  might  as  well  believe  Joe  Smith  as  such  theology  as 
that." 

"Did  you  say  Joe  Smith  ?"  asked  the  Prophet. 

"Of  course  I  did.     Why  not?"  was  the  answer. 

"Considering  only  the  day  and  the  place,"  replied  the 
Prophet,  with  a  "quiet  superiority  that  was  overwhelming," 
"it  would  have  been  more  respectful  to  have  said  Lieuten- 
ant-General  Joseph  Smith." 

"Clearly,"  concludes  Mr.  Quincy,  "the  worthy  minister 
was  no  match  for  the  head  of  the  Mormon  Church." 

The  Prophet  never  laid  any  claims  to  polish  and  refine- 
ment. Of  scholastic  education  he  had  enjoyed  very  little.  In 
his  early  life  he  could  barely  read,  write,  and  cypher.  In- 
deed, to  the  end  of  his  life  he  was  a  poor  penman.  He  seems 
never  to  have  been  master  of  the  mechanical  features  of 
written  style,  as  the  specimens  of  his  literary  efforts  remain- 
ing sufficiently  testify.  And  this  fact  must  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration when  it  comes  to  estimating  the  value  of  such 
documents  as  the  "Views,"  in  the  interpretation  of  his  char- 
acter. In  that  instrument,  which,  judged  by  the  thought,  is 
able  and  striking,  eight  languages  are  quoted,  showing  a  ten- 
dency on  the  part  of  the  writer  of  it  to  air  his  linguistic 
knowledge.  But  this  literary  shallowness  is  not  to  be  at- 
tributed to  Joseph,  but  rather  to  his  scribe.  All  his  life,  how- 
ever, he  was  a  student ;  and  considering  the  intense  activity 
of  the  man,  together  with  his  large  executive  duties  and  the 
difficulties  of  himself  and  his  people,  he  amassed  an  extra- 
ordinary amount  of  information  of  a  miscellaneous  character. 
He  studied,  under  capable  teachers,  Hebrew,  Greek,  Latin 
and  German,  though,  to  be  sure,  he  could  not  boast  any  more 
than  a  comparatively  superficial  acquaintance  with  any  one  of 
these  languages.  Daniel  H.  Wells,  a  man  of  trained  legal 
abilities,  was  wont  to  say  that  Joseph  had  a  wonderful 
knowledge  of  Constitutional  law,  greater  than  any  man  he 


THE   ENIGMA   OF   PALMYRA  365 

ever  knew.  He  was  well  versed  in  general  history,  and 
though  he  appears  never  to  have  given  much  attention  to 
science,  as  such,  his  naturally  vigorous  and  powerful  under- 
standing grasped  almost  intuitively  the  great  fundamentals 
of  scientific  truth.  In  all  his  researches  he  was  aided  unusu- 
ally by  the  Holy  Spirit,  whose  devoted  pupil  he  was,  if  we 
may  be  permitted  to  use  this  expression.  His  specialty, 
however,  was  theology,  the  science  of  God,  in  which  he  was 
incomparably  the  superior  of  every  other  living  man,  and 
this,  in  reality,  is  but  small  praise. 

We  have  many  sayings  of  the  Prophet's  as  well  as  nu- 
merous incidents  of  his  life,  that  go  to  show  his  unbounded 
affection,  not  only  to  his  family  and  relatives,  but  also  to 
all  his  friends,  and  even  to  the  lower  animals.  The  ties  which 
bound  him  to  his  father  and  mother  and  brothers  and  sisters 
were  of  the  strongest  and  most  enduring  kind.  The  Smiths 
have  always  been  a  clanish  family.  It  was  a  source  of  un- 
speakable grief  to  Joseph  when  he  had  any  difficulties  be- 
tween himself  and  his  brother  William,  as  happened  once  or 
twice.  To  Hyrum  his  heart  was  bound  with  a  love  stronger 
than  the  love  of  sex.  In  life  they  were  not  separated,  and  in 
death  they  were  not  divided.  But  his  soul  reached  out  to  his 
whole  people,  whom  he  loved  most  passionately.  On  learn- 
ing, in  1833,  of  the  expulsion  of  his  people  from  Jackson 
county  and  the  sufferings  attended  thereupon,  he  burst  into 
tears  and  sobbed  like  a  child :  "Oh,  my  brethren,  my  breth- 
ren, would  that  I  had  been  with  you  to  share  your  fate.  Al- 
mighty God,  what  shall  we  do  in  such  trials  as  this !" 

"We  remember  your  family  with  all  the  first  families  of 
the  Church  who  first  embraced  the  truth,"  wrote  Joseph  to 
a  Brother  Peck,  in  a  letter  which  he  signed,  "Your  unworthy 
brother  and  fellow  laborer."  "We  remember  your  losses  and 
sorrows ;  we  participate  with  you  in  the  evils  as  well  as  the 


366  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

good,  in  the  sorrows  as  well  as  the  joys ;  our  union,  we  trust, 
is  stronger  than  death,  and  shall  never  be  severed." 

Not  long  before  his  death,  he  said  in  a  public  meeting 
that  he  was  the  same  man  that  he  was  fourteen  years  previ- 
ously and  just  as  innocent.  "As  I  grow  older,"  he  continued, 
"my  heart  grows  tenderer  for  you.  I  am  at  all  times  ready 
to  give  up  everything  that  is  wrong,  for  I  wish  this  people 
to  have  a  virtuous  leader." 

And  in  return  for  all  this  the  Saints — those  who  knew 
him  most  intimately — loved  him  as  perhaps  no  other  man  has 
ever  been  loved.  The  great  body  of  the  Church  always  had 
the  most  perfect  confidence  in  his  integrity  and  in  his  teach- 
ings. "I  felt  as  if  I  could  willingly  lay  down  my  life  for 
him,"  said  an  aged  brother  to  the  author  recently.  And  he 
added,  "I  don't  know  what  I  should  have  done,  you  know,, 
had  the  test  come ;  but  that  was  my  feeling  at  the  time ;  and 
I  believe  that  I  would  have  done  so.  Oh,  how  I  loved  that 
man !"  This  was  the  sentiment  of  many  thousands.  No  one 
who  has  conversed  with  the  survivors  of  those  days  with 
the  Prophet  Joseph  will  regard  such  expressions  as  meaning- 
less effusions.  Nothing  shows  better  how  deep  and  genuine 
were  the  feelings  of  the  people  for  their  leader  than  the  uni- 
versal grief  that  prevailed  when  he  was  struck  down  by  as- 
sassins at  Carthage.  President  Taylor's  expressions  may  be 
taken  as  representative  of  the  general  sorrow.  "I  felt  a  dull,, 
lonely,  sickening  sensation  at  the  news,"  he  says  when  his 
worst  fears  concerning  Joseph  were  confirmed  at  the  jail  by 
Dr.  Richards.  "When  I  reflected  that  our  noble  chieftain, 
the  prophet  of  the  living  God,  was  fallen,  and  that  I  had  seen 
his  brother  in  the  cold  embrace  of  death,  it  seemed  as  though 
there  was  a  void  or  vacuum  in  the  great  field  of  human  ex- 
istence to  me,  and  a  dark,  gloomy  chasm  in  the  kingdom,  and 
that  we  were  left  alone.  Oh  how  lonely  was  that  feeling  1 
How  cold,  barren,  and  desolate !    In  the  midst  of  difficulties 


THE   ENGIMA   OF   PALMYRA  367 

he  was  always  the  first  in  motion  ;  in  critical  positions  his 
counsel  was  always  sought.  As  our  prophet  he  approached 
our  God,  and  obtained  for  us  His  will ;  but  now  our  prophet, 
our  counselor,  our  general,  our  leader  was  gone,  and  amid 
the  fiery  ordeal  that  we  then  had  to  pass  through,  we  were 
left  alone  without  his  aid,  and  as  our  future  guide  for  things 
spiritual  or  temporal,  and  for  all  things  pertaining  to  this 
world  or  the  next,  he  had  spoken  for  the  last  time  on  earth !" 
What  kind  of  man  must  he  have  been,  who  could  inspire 
such  universal  love  as  this  in  such  a  following  as  his  ? 

But  these  things  do  not  exhibit  in  full  the  greatness  of 
Joseph  Smith.  A  man  is  to  be  judged  by  what  he  does,  as  a 
tree  is  judged  by  the  fruit  it  puts  forth.  If  that  work  be  in- 
ferior, the  man  is  small,  but  if,  on  the  contrary,  that  work  be 
of  a  superior  character,  the  man  is  great. 

One  test  of  greatness  is  the  power  to  handle  men.  Jos- 
eph Smith  had  this  in  a  most  extraordinary  degree.  Of  this 
fact  we  have  ample  proof  in  the  way  in  which  the  hosts  of 
"Mormons"  hung  together  in  those  troublous  times  at  Kirt- 
land,  in  Missouri,  and  even  in  Illinois.  And  the  people 
whom  he  had  gathered  around  him  included  almost  all  the 
degrees  of  intelligence  from  those  who  were  both  illiterate 
and  ignorant  to  the  college  graduate.  The  common  peojtfe 
looked  upon  the  Prophet  as  they  would  upon  an  angel  de- 
scended from  heaven  and  dwelling  among  them  for  a  season. 
"He  was  food  to  my  soul,"  said  a  man  to  me  the  other  day, 
who,  in  1844,  was  an  English  immigrant,  "and  I  could  never 
take  my  eyes  off  him  when  I  was  in  his  presence.  I  would 
rather  hear  him  preach  five  minutes  than  Sidney  Rigdon  half 
a  day !"  And  yet  Sidney  Rigdon  was  celebrated  among  the 
cultured  for  his  eloquence.  When  I  asked  him  how  it  was 
that  he  preferred  Joseph's  discourse,  he  replied:  "Because 
he  always  spoke  so  simple,  and  it  was  always  so  true !" 

But  it  was  not  only  the  common  people  he  thus  exercised 


368  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS  OF    MORMONISM 

his  influence  over.  Joseph  Smith  was  surrounded  by  some 
of  the  boldest  and  most  independent  spirits  that  could  be 
found ;  for  among  his  associates  were  Brigham  Young,  John 
Taylor,  Wilford  Woodruff,  Sidney  Rigdon,  the  two  Pratts. 
Amasa  Lyman,  and  a  host  of  others,  only  a  few  degrees  in- 
ferior to  these.  And  yet  all  these  men  looked  up  to  him  as 
to  a  great  teacher.  They  were  as  children  in  his  hands. 
Further  still,  he  exerted  the  same  mysterious  power  over 
those  whom  he  had  never  seen  in  the  flesh,  but  who  had  em- 
braced the  gospel,  Josiah  Quincy,  to  whom  I  have  referred 
so  many  times  in  this  chapter,  quotes  letters  from  two  Saints 
in  England,  who  were  evidently  intelligent,  educated  men, 
in  which  they  exhibited  great  love  for  the  Prophet  and  con- 
fidence in  his  divine  calling.  Mr.  Quincy  gives  these  quo- 
tation for  the  purpose,  as  he  says,  of  showing  "what  really 
good  material  Smith  managed  to  draw  into  his  net ;"  and  he 
goes  on  to  ask :  "Were  such  fish  to  be  caught  with  Spauld- 
ing's  tedious  romance  and  a  puerile  fable  of  undecipherable 
gold  plates  and  gigantic  spectacles?  Not  these  cheap  and 
wretched  properties,  but  some  mastering  force  of  the  man 
who  handled  them,  inspired  the  devoted  missionaries  who 
worked  such  wonders."  These  foreign  proselytes  looked 
to  the  Prophet  as  to  some  great,  mysterious  spiritual  force, 
and  longed  eagerly  for  the  time  when  they  might  cut  in 
twain  every  tender  cord  that  had  bound  them  to  their  homes 
and  native  land,  to  look  upon  his  face ! 

Again,  the  work  which  this  man  performed  is  a  lasting 
monument  to  his  great  name.  We  pass  by  his  production  of 
the  Book  of  Mormon  at  a  time  in  his  life  when  he  was  almost 
unlettered,  at  least  inexperienced  in  everything  but  the  farm 
life  of  Western  New  York,  and  come  to  the  great  Church 
organization  that  he  effected.  By  all  who  have  considered  it 
without  prejudice  it  is  regarded  as  the  most  perfect  and  com- 
plete organization  in  the  world.     Professor  Ely  thinks  that 


THE   ENIGMA   OF    PALMYRA  369 

the  German  army  alone  ought  to  be  excepted  from  this  state- 
ment. The  Church  organization  is  at  once  so  simple  and  yet 
so  comprehensive  in  its  operations.  And  this,  humanly 
speaking,  is  the  product  of  Joseph  Smith. 

Such,  in  brief,  are  some  of  the  facts  in  the  life  of  the 
Prophet.  But  these,  it  is  perhaps  needless  to  say,  are  not  the 
facts  to  be  found  in  anti-"Mormon"  works.  Those  writers 
carefully  avoid  them,  because  they  would  prove  fatal  to  their 
working  hypothesis  that  Joseph  Smith  was  an  imposter,  low, 
ignorant,  licentious.  They  are  content,  instead,  to  set  down 
such  inventions  as  Joseph's  purported  walking  on  water,  like 
the  Savior,  but  with  planks  under  his  feet  to  keep  him  from 
sinking,  and  a  multitude  of  such  silly  stories,  that  would  at 
once  have  dissipated  every  shred  of  faith  in  his  devotees, 
however  ignorant  and  superstitious  they  might  have  been. 
But  such  facts  as  we  have  given  are  contained  in  the  writ- 
ings of  non-" Mormons,"  who  had  no  private  motive  to 
serve  and  no  grudge  to  take  out  upon  the  Saints.  Such  men 
candidly  admit  that  they  cannot  understand  the  "Mormon" 
Prophet.  Mr.  Quincy  ends  his  exceedingly  interesting  chap- 
ter on  Joseph  Smith  with  the  words :  "I  have  endeavored  to 
give  the  details  of  my  visit  to  the  Mormon  prophet  with  ab- 
solute accuracy.  If  the  reader  does  not  know  just  what  to 
make  of  Joseph  Smith,  I  cannot  help  him  out  of  the  difficulty. 

/  myself  stand  helpless  before  the  puzzle." 

And  this  brings  us  back  to  the  point  of  beginning.  To 
reconcile  the  apparent  contradictions  in  this  life  will  never 
be  possible  by  assuming  him  to  be  a  false  prophet,  a  deceiver, 
a  hypocrite,  a  fraud,  and  so  on.  This  only  increases  the 
difficulty  for  honest  men  wishing  to  arrive  at  the  truth.  The 
only  solution  of  the  problem  is  to  presuppose  that  Joseph  was 
a  true  prophet  sent  of  God.  Then  every  thing  of  a  puzzling 
or  enigmatical  character  that  enemies  have  imagined  they  de- 


370  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

tected  in  him,  will  at  once  disappear.  Then  it  will  be  under- 
stood how  he  could  exert  such  a  powerful  influence  over  his 
heterogeneous  people.  Then  it  will  be  perfectly  clear  how  it 
was  that  they  clung  to  him  till  his  death,  and  how  fondly 
they  still  cherish  his  name.  Then  it  will  be  comprehended 
how  it  was  that  he  permitted  the  seal  of  martyrdom  to  be 
placed  on  his  work. 

"Born  in  the  lowest  ranks  of  poverty,  without  book  learn- 
ing and  with  the  homeliest  of  all  human  names,  he  had  made 
himself  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine  a  power  upon  earth/' 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE    VOICE   OF    THE    SHEPHERD 

The  untimely  death  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  threw  the  Church 
into  confusion.  This  was  the  first  time  in  its  history  that 
such  an  event  as  the  loss  of  its  leader  and  president  had  oc- 
curred. But  the  Church  was  not  therefore  disorganized. 
The  confusion  was  only  momentary.  "Mormonism"  was  not 
broken  up,  nor  was  it  even  to  pause  in  its  miraculous  career. 
God  had  provided  a  means  by  which  the  work  he  had  estab- 
lished was  kept  entirely  free  from  dependence  upon  any  man, 
be  that  even  its  first  prophet  and  earthly  founder. 

The  Flock  Shepherdless. 

Nevertheless,  that  was  a  critical  point  in  the  history  of  the 
Church.  Here  were  between  twenty  and  thirty  thousand 
people  gathered  in  Nauvoo  and  vicinity,  from  various  states 
and  from  England,  suddenly  deprived  of  their  prophet-lead- 
er. They  had  followed  him  as  few  men  are  followed  in  this 
world  of  distrust  and  unbelief.  They  had  hung  devotedlv 
to  his  every  word,  in  the  firm  conviction  that  he  was  a 
special  messenger  sent  from  God,  and  that  his  utterances 
were  inspired.  While  they  enjoyed  his  companionship  they 
did  not  think  of  the  time  when  they  would  be  deprived  of  his 
presence.  They  were  satisfied  with  present  blessings,  and 
attempted  not  to  look  into  the  future  to  see  what  it  had  in 
store  for  them.  Hitherto  he  had  been,  as  they  believed, 
miraculously  preserved  from  his  enemies.  And  now  that  he 
was  gone,  they  felt  the  utter  emptiness  of  heart  that  comes 
with  a  personal  loss.  He  had  been  to  them  a  father,  and  as 
children  they  mourned  his  untimely  taking  off. 


372  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 

Their  grief  for  the  Prophet's  death  was  augmented  by  a 
feeling  of  uneasiness  concerning  the  question  of  his  suc- 
cessor in  the  leadership  of  the  Church,  and  also  by  a  vague 
dread  lest  the  same  malice  that  had  slain  the  Prophet  and 
Patriarch  should  turn  unsatisfied  upon  them.  There  ap- 
peared an  over-eagerness  on  the  part  of  some  persons  at 
Nauvoo  to  "set  things  right."  And  as  the  principals  in  this 
needless  activity  were  officials  who  outwardly  manifested 
nothing  but  a  genuine  anxiety  for  the  public  welfare,  but  who 
in  their  secret  hearts  were  apostates,  the  agitation  of  the 
matter  did  a  great  deal  towards  unsettling  affairs.  The  city 
council  had  passed  resolutions  to  the  effect  that  they  would 
"rigidly  sustain  the  laws  and  the  governor  of  the  state." 
This  they  had  done  in  response  to  a  request  of  Governor 
Ford  through  his  agents,  Colonel  Fellows  and  Captain 
Jonas,  so  that  he  might  know  their  intentions  in  view  of  the 
recent  tragedy  at  Carthage.  The  same  thing  was  desired  of 
the  people  at  Warsaw.  But  they  replied  that  they  would  not 
sustain  the  Governor  in  his  pacific  methods  where  the  "Mor- 
mons" were  concerned.  Instead,  they  hypocritically  de- 
manded him  to  tell  them  which  should  leave  the  state — 
themselves  or  the  "Mormons."  And  he  weakly  replied — 
for  Governor  Ford  appears  to  have  been  a  timid,  indecisive 
creature — that  he  would  not  undertake  to  point  out  so  deli- 
cate a  matter !  A  thing  which  they  knew  beforehand.  Had 
he  been  a  man  of  character,  energy,  and  justice,  he  would 
have  given  them  such  an  answer  as  would  have  put  a  damper 
upon  their  murderous  spirit.  At  the  same  time  he  undertook, 
needlessly  enough,  to  quiet  the  feelings  of  the  Saints  by  hold- 
ing over  them  the  terrors  of  mob  violence. 

A  noble-spirited  letter,  signed  by  Elders  Phelps,  Rich- 
ards, and  Taylor,  was  published  about  this  time  in  the  Times 
and  Seasons.  "Be  peaceful,  quiet  citizens,"  it  counseled, 
"doing   the   work   of    righteousness,   and   as   soon   as    the 


THE   VOICE   OF   THE    SHEPHERD  373 

Twelve  and  other  authorities  can  assemble,  or  a  majority  of 
them,  the  onward  course  to  the  great  gathering  of  Israel,  and 
the  final  consummation  of  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of 

times  will  be  pointed  out Union  is  peace, 

brethren,  and  eternal  life  is  the  greatest  gift  of  God.  Re- 
joice, then,  that  you  are  found  worthy  to  live  and  die  for 
God.  Men  may  kill  the  body,  but  they  cannot  hurt  the  soul, 
and  wisdom  shall  be  justified  of  her  children." 

False  Shepherds. 

Of  the  leading  brethren,  only  a  few  were  at  Nauvoo  when 
the  Prophet  and  Patriarch  were  murdered.  Sidney  Rigdon 
was  at  Pittsburg,  and  all  the  apostles  except  Willard  Rich- 
ards and  John  Taylor  were  away  on  missions,  most  of  them 
being  in  the  East.  Joseph,  before  he  went  to  Carthage,  had 
sent  for  the  Twelve  to  return ;  but  it  would  be  long  before 
word  reached  them,  for  there  were  no  railroads  or  telegraph 
lines  in  the  West  at  the  time.  After  this  tragedy,  other  mes- 
sages had  been  sent  to  them.  But  before  their  arrival  some 
queer  things  were  going  on  at  the  headquarters  of  the 
Church. 

On  August  3rd  Sidney  Rigdon  unexpectedly  arrived  at 
Nauvoo.  He  immediately  fell  in  with  the  element  we  have 
already  spoken  of  as  anxious  to  set  things  right,  at  the  head 
of  which  was  William  Marks,  president  of  the  Nauvoo 
Stake.  By  this  time,  Apostles  Parley  P.  Pratt  and  George 
A.  Smith  had  also  arrived.  These  brethren  invited  Presi- 
dent Rigdon  to  meet  with  them,  but  for  some  reason,  which 
will  presently  appear,  he  kept  aloof  from  all  the  general  au- 
thorities. He  was  not  so  averse,  however,  to  meeting  with 
others,  and  that  secretly. 

August  4th  was  Sunday.  At  10  o'clock  in  the  morning 
the  people  as  usual  assembled  at  the  grove  to  worship. 
President  Rigdon   addressed  them  on   the   text,   "For  my 


374  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

thoughts  are  not  as  your  thoughts,  neither  are  your  ways  my 
ways,  saith  the  Lord."  He  related  a  "vision"  which  he  had 
received  at  Pittsburg  on  the  27th  of  June,  in  which  he  was 
told  that  a  guardian  was  to  be  appointed  to  build  up  the 
Church  to  Joseph  the  Martyr.  No  one  could  take  the 
Prophet's  place ;  revelation  was  to  continue.  He  said  much, 
also,  about  his  own  position  of  spokesman  to  Joseph,  to 
which  position  he  had  been  appointed  by  the  mouth  of  the 
Lord.  He  was  the  man,  he  declared,  of  whom  ancient 
prophets  had  sung,  intimating  that  he  was  the  guardian  to 
be  appointed. 

At  the  conclusion  of  his  discourse,  he  urged  President 
Marks  to  call  a  special  meeting  for  the  following  Tuesday ; 
but  this,  for  some  reason,  Marks  failed  to  do,  though  he  was 
in  full  sympathy  with  Sidney,  and  appointed  Thursday,  the 
8th,  instead. 

But  the  Saints  were  suspicious,  as  they  had  need  to  be, 
of  Rigdon  and  his  newly-found  anxiety  for  their  welfare. 
They  reflected  that  not  long  before  Joseph's  death,  the 
Prophet  had  refused  to  sustain  him  as  a  counselor.  Some  of 
the  brethren  had  pleaded  mercy,  among  whom  was  Joseph's 
own  brother,  Hyrum;  but  he  thought  he  had  been  merciful 
long  enough,  and  though  the  conference  generally  voted  to 
retain  Sidney  in  the  Presidency,  President  Smith  protested 
emphatically  against  carrying  him  any  longer  in  that  office. 
And  since  that  time  Elder  Rigdon  had  gone  away  from  Nau- 
voo  contrary  to  the  expressed  direction  of  a  revelation 
through  his  leader.  After  this  recreant  conduct  it  was  not  to 
be  expected  that  Rigdon  would  prove  an  acceptable  candi- 
date for  the  place  made  vacant  by  their  beloved  Prophet. 

By  the  7th  of  August,  six  more  of  the  apostles  had  ar- 
rived. There  was  now  at  Nauvoo  Brigham  Young,  Heber 
C.  Kimball,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Orson  Pratt,  Orson  Hyde,  John 
Taylor,   Wilford   Woodruff,   Willard   Richards,   George  A. 


THE    VOICE   OF   THE    SHEPHERD  375 

Smith,  and  Lyman  Wight.  Amasa  Lyman  was  also  in  the 
city.  A  council  of  the  apostles  was  called  to  meet  at  John 
Taylor's,  where  the  situation  was  discussed.  Subsequently, 
a  body  of  men  including  the  Twelve,  the  High  Council,  and 
the  High  Priests,  met,  at  which  President  Rigdon  made  a 
statement  of  his  claims  substantially  as  we  have  given  them 
above.  He  laid  much  stress  on  his  position  of  spokesman  to 
Joseph.  When  he  got  through,  President  Young  arose  and 
said — 

"I  do  not  care  who  leads  this  Church,  even  though  it  were 
Ann  Lee ;  but  one  thing  I  must  know,  and  that  is  what 
God  says  about  it.  I  have  the  keys  and  the  means  of  obtain- 
ing the  mind  of  God  on  the  subject.  .  .  .  Joseph  con- 
ferred upon  our  heads  all  the  keys  and  powers  belonging  to 
the  apostleship  which  he  himself  held  before  he  was  taken 
away,  and  no  man  or  set  of  men  can  get  between  Joseph  and 
the  Twelve  in  this  world  or  in  the  world  to  come.  How 
often  has  Joseph  said  to  the  Twelve,  T  have  laid  the  founda- 
tion and  you  must  build  thereon,  for  upon  your  shoulders  the 
kingdom  rests."' 

The  Mantle  of  Joseph. 

When  Thursday  morning  came,  there  was  a  great  congrega- 
tion assembled  at  the  grove  where  the  meeting  was  to  be 
held,  for  by  this  time  attention  was  at  a  high  pitch  over  the 
question  of  a  leader.  President  Young  called  the  meeting  to 
order  and  presided.  He  invited  Sidney  Rigdon  to  speak. 
And  the  would-be  guardian  occupied  nearly  the  entire  time 
of  the  morning  session,  but  not  in  his  accustomed  way.  He 
faltered  like  a  timid  man  presenting  something  which  he 
only  half  believed.  There  was  no  force  of  a  great  convic- 
tion behind  his  "revelation."  The  people,  therefore,  were 
very  uneasy,  moving  in  their  seats,  impatient  for  him  to  get 
through. 


376  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

At  last  he  sat  down,  and  President  Young  rose.  He 
spoke  for  only  a  few  minutes,  but  long  enough  to  answer 
every  query  in  the  minds  of  the  audience  as  to  where  the 
authority  to  lead  the  Church  lay.  All  those  who  were  pres- 
ent that  have  spoken  on  the  subject  have  testified  that  a  mar- 
velous transformation  took  place  in  President  Young.  He 
spoke  in  the  voice  of  the  martyred  Prophet.  Not  only  so; 
but  he  assumed  the  form  and  appearance  of  Joseph,  so  that 
the  thousands  at  that  meeting  believed  for  the  moment  that 
President  Smith  actually  stood  before  them. 

"If  Joseph  had  risen  from  the  dead,"  says  President 
George  Q.  Cannon,  who  was  in  attendance,  "and  again 
spoken  in  their  hearing,  the  effect  could  not  have  been  more 
startling  than  it  was  to  many  present  at  that  meeting.  It  was 
the  voice  of  Joseph  himself ;  and  not  only  was  it  the  voice  of 
Joseph  which  was  heard,  but  it  seemed  in  the  eyes  of  the 
people  as  if  it  were  the  very  person  of  Joseph  which  stood 
before  them.  A  more  wonderful  and  miraculous  event  than 
was  wrought  that  day  in  the  presence  of  that  congregation, 
we  never  heard  of.  The  Lord  gave  His  people  a  testimony 
that  left  no  room  for  doubt  as  to  who  was  the  man  to  lead 
them.  They  both  saw  and  heard  with  their  natural  eyes  and 
ears,  and  the  words  which  were  uttered  came,  accompanied 
by  the  convincing  power  of  God,  to  their  hearts,  and  they 
were  filled  with  the  Spirit  and  with  great  joy.  There  had 
been  gloom,  and  in  some  hearts,  probably,  doubt  and  uncer- 
tainty, but  now  it  was  plain  to  all  that  here  was  the  man 
upon  whom  the  Lord  bestowed  the  necessary  authority  to  act 
in  their  midst  in  Joseph's  stead.  On  that  occasion  Brigham 
Young  seemed  to  be  transformed,  and  a  change  such  as  that 
we  read  of  in  the  scriptures,  as  belonging  to  the  Prophet 
Elisha,  when  Elijah  was  translated  in  his  presence,  seemed 
to  have  taken  place  with  him.  The  mantle  of  the  Prophet 
had  been  left  for  Brigham." 


THE   VOICE   OF   THE    SHEPHERD  377 

An  appointment  for  another  meeting  was  made  for  the 
afternoon,  and  the  Saints  dispersed  satisfied  in  their  minds 
as  to  the  question  they  had  so  often  asked  of  late.  Promptly 
on  the  hour,  the  Saints  returned  to  the  grove.  The  priest- 
hood were  arranged  in  quorums  in  order  to  vote  properly. 
President  Young  first  addressed  the  Saints.  He  called  at- 
tention to  the  importance  of  the  occasion.  It  was  necessary 
for  them  to  walk  by  faith  now,  and  not  by  sight  as  they  had 
done  when  the  Prophet  Joseph  was  alive.  The  people  could 
not  appoint  a  man  at  the  head  of  the  Church;*  God  alone 
could  do  this,  and  even  then  he  would  have  to  be  ordained 
by  the  Twelve.  Joseph,  before  his  death,  had  given  the  apos- 
tles every  key,  power,  and  authority  which  he  himself  pos- 
sessed, and  had  placed  upon  them  the  obligation  of  carrying 
on  the  work  of  God  in  all  the  world. 

Apostles  Amasa  Lyman,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  and  Elder  W. 
W.  Phelps  each  spoke,  the  latter  at  the  request  of  Sidney 
Rigdon,  who  declined  to  speak  himself.  They  were  all  very 
emphatic  and  positive  in  their  support  of  the  Twelve. 

President  Young  rose  again,  this  time  to  put  the  mo- 
mentous question  to  the  congregation.  At  the  request  of 
Rigdon  he  put  first  the  question  as  to  whether  the  people 
would  support  the  apostles.  ''Does  the  Church  want,  and  is 
it  their  only  desire  to  sustain,  the  Twelve  as  the  First  Presi- 
dency of  this  people  ?"  A  unanimous  affirmative  vote  was  the 
answer.  He  called  for  a  contrary  vote,  but  not  a  hand  went 
up.  Of  course,  there  were  some  in  the  audience  who  were  fol- 
lowers of  Sidney  Rigdon,  and  who  refrained  from  voting. 
But  these  were  few  in  number.  Continuing,  President  Young 


*This  phrase  has  been  strangely  interpreted  to  mean  that 
no  man,  in  President  Young's  judgment,  would  succeed  to  the 
presidency  of  the  Church.  Nothing  could  be  further  from  the 
truth.  The  plain  meaning  is  that  the  appointment  must  be  from 
God  through  the  quorum  of  apostles,  when  it  was  made,  and 
not  from  the  people. 


378  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 

outlined  the  policy  of  the  apostles  for  the  immediate  future ; 
which  was  to  finish  the  temple  and  pursue  the  work  exactly 
as  Joseph  had  intended  it  to  be  done. 

This  meeting  settled  the  question  of  succession  so  far  as 
the  Saints  as  a  body  were  concerned.  They  had  seen  the  un- 
mistakable finger  of  God  pointing  towards  the  apostles  as 
their  leaders,  and  they  had  determined  in  their  own  minds  to 
give  them  the  same  love  and  obedience  that  they  had  given 
their  martyred  Prophet.  But  not  so  with  Sidney  Rigdon  and 
the  few  that  followed  him.  He  had  been  disappointed  in  his 
ambition  to  lead  the  Church.  He  had  not  even  secured  a 
respectable  following.  In  appearance,  he  accepted  the  de- 
cision of  the  Saints  as  final ;  in  reality,  he  continued  to  hold 
secret  meetings  with  those  whom  his  crooked  ways  could  de- 
ceive. He  promised  great  things  to  them,  ordaining  some  to 
be  prophets,  priests,  and  kings.  His  conduct  coming  to  the 
notice  of  the  apostles,  he  was,  after  a  proper  hearing,  sum- 
marily excommunicated  from  the  Church.  It  was  then  that 
he  came  out  in  open  rebellion ;  for  he  denounced  the  leaders 
of  the  Church,  and  exerted  all  his  little  remaining  influence 
with  the  Saints  to  induce  them  to  do  the  same  thing.  Shortly 
afterwards  he  left  Nauvoo,  lived  for  a  time  at  Pittsburg, 
from  which  place  he  subsequently  moved  to  Friendship,  Al- 
leghany county,  New  York,  where  he  died  in  1876,  leaving  a 
number  of  scattered  disciples  in  a  church  which  he  had  or- 
ganized. 

The  Law  of  Succession  in  the  Presidency. 
To  any  one  at  all  familiar  with  the  revelations  given  to  the 
Prophet  Joseph  and  with  the  order  of  the  priesthood,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  legality  of  this  eighth  of  August 
action.  The  consideration  of  three  points  will  make  this  per- 
fectly clear. 

In    the   first   place,    the   power   of   presidency   over   the 


THE   VOICE    OF    THE    SHEPHERD  379 

whole  Church  rests  with  the  quorum  of  apostles,  when  the 
quorum  of  the  First  Presidency  is  dissolved  by  the  death  of 
the  President.  "Of  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood,"  says  a 
revelation  (section  107)  given  through  Joseph,  March  28th, 
1835,  "three  Presiding  High  Priests,  chosen  by  the  body,  ap- 
pointed and  ordained  to  that  office,  and  upheld  by  the  con- 
fidence, faith,  and  prayer  of  the  Church,  form  a  quorum  of 
Presidency  of  the  Church.  The  Twelve  traveling  counselors 
are  called  to  be  the  Twelve  apostles,  or  special  witnesses  of 
the  name  of  Christ  in  all  the  world ;  thus  differing  from  other 
offices  in  the  Church  in  the  duties  of  their  calling.  And 
they  form  a  quorum,  equal  in  authority  and  power  to  the 
three  Presidents  previously  mentioned.  The  seventy  also 
are  called  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  to  be  special  witnesses 
unto  the  Gentiles  and  in  all  the  world.  Thus  differing  from 
other  officers  in  the  Church  in  the  duties  of  their  calling; 
and  they  form  a  quorum  equal  in  authority  to  that  of  the 
Twelve  special  witnesses  or  apostles  just  named.  And  every 
decision  made  by  either  of  these  quorums,  must  be  by  the 
unanimous  voice  of  the  same ;  that  is,  every  member  in  each 
quorum  must  be  agreed  to  its  decision,  in  order  to  make 
their  decisions  of  the  same  power  or  validity  one  with  the 
other.  (A  majority  may  form  a  quorum,  when  circum- 
stances render  it  impossible  to  be  otherwise)." 

According  to  this  revelation,  there  are  three  quorums  in 
the  Church  of  equal  authority — The  First  Presidency,  the 
Quorum  of  Twelve  Apostles,  and  the  Seventy.  Of  course, 
where  all  three  quorums  occupy  their  proper  places,  the 
Seventy  will  work  under  the  direction  of  the  apostles,  and 
the  apostles  under  the  First  Presidency.  Now  suppose  the 
First  quorum  named  ceases  to  exist  as  such,  which  is  the  next 
in  order  of  presidency  ?  Very  obviously  the  quorum  of  apos- 
tles. This  conclusion  is  absolutely  inevitable.  There  can  be 
no  other  wrested  from  this  law  of  the  Church.    And  at  the 


380  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

time  we  are  speaking  of,  this  was  precisely  the  condition. 
Joseph  was  dead,  William  Law  had  been  excommunicated, 
and  Sidney  Rigdon  alone  remained.  But  there  was  no  First 
Presidency.  Hence,  the  apostles  stood  at  the  head  of  the 
Church ;  and  since  Brigham  Young  was  the  President  of  the 
quorum,  to  which  office  he  had  been  appointed  by  revela- 
tion (section  124,  verse  127),  it  followed  that  he  was  in 
effect  President  of  the  Church ;  he  was  the  highest  officer  in 
the  organization. 

In  the  second  place,  Joseph  had  bestowed  upon  the 
quorum  of  Twelve  all  the  keys  of  power  and  authority  that 
he  himself  held.  This  is  clear  from  the  testimonies  of  at  least 
three  persons.  The  words  of  President  Young  we  have  al- 
ready quoted.  The  language  of  President  Woodruff  is :  "It 
was  before  we  started  upon  our  mission  to  the  East.  He 
[Joseph  the  Prophet]  stood  upon  his  feet  some  three  hours. 
The  room  was  filled  as  with  consuming  fire,  his  face  was  as 
clear  as  amber,  and  he  was  clothed  upon  by  the  power  of 
God.  He  laid  before  us  our  duty.  He  laid  before  us  the  ful- 
ness of  this  great  work  of  God ;  and  in  his  remarks  to  us  he 
said:  T  have  had  sealed  upon  my  head  every  key,  every 
power,  every  principle  of  life  and  salvation  that  God  has  ever 
given  to  any  man  who  ever  lived  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 
And  these  principles  and  this  priesthood  and  power  belong 
to  this  great  and  last  dispensation  which  the  God  of  heaven 
has  set  his  hand  to  establish  in  the  earth!  Now,'  said  he, 
addressing  the  Twelve,  T  have  sealed  upon  your  heads  every 
key,  every  power,  and  every  principle  which  the  Lord  has 
sealed  upon  my  head'  ....  'The  burden  of  this  king- 
dom now  rests  upon  your  shoulders ;  you  have  got  to  bear  it 
off  in  all  the  world,  and  if  you  don't  do  it  you  will  be 
damned.'  " 

Benjamin  F.  Johnson,  who  was  the  Prophet's  private 
secretary  before  his  martyrdom,  has  recently  furnished  a 
strong  confirmation  of  what  President  Young  and  Wood- 


THE   VOICE    OF    THE    SHEPHERD  381 

ruff  testified ,  to  as  having  occurred  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Twelve  referred  to,  and  also  what  took  place  at  the  now  fa- 
mous 8th  of  August  meeting.  He  says:  "Do  I  know  that 
Brigham  Young  was  the  true  successor  of  Joseph  Smith?  I 
knew  it  before  the  Prophet  was  martyred,  for  Joseph  had 
made  it  known.  I  was  present  when  the  Prophet  gave  his 
charge- to  the  Twelve  Apostles,  when  in  council  after  solemn 
prayer,  he  rose  up  with  the  light  of  heaven  shining  in  his 
countenance,  related  his  experience  with  reference  to  the 
beginning  of  this  work,  the  responsibilities  placed  upon  him, 
the  persecutions  and  hardships  through  which  he  had  passed. 
He  declared  that  God  had  revealed  all  the  truth  necessary  to 
save  mankind,  had  given  unto  him  the  keys  of  the  kingdom, 
and  he  had  carried  the  weight  and  load  thus  far,  and  then 
speaking  directly  to  the  Twelve  he  said :  T  now  roll  off  the 
burden  of  this  responsibility  upon  you ;  I  give  unto  you  all 
the  keys  and  powers  bestowed  upon  me,  and  I  say  unto  you, 
that  unless  you  round  up  your  shoulders  and  bear  off  this 
kingdom  you  will  be  damned.'  The  majesty  and  solemnity 
of  the  occasion  was  something  to  be  remembered.  This 
should  have  given  us  the  key,  but  after  the  martyrdom  of 
the  Prophet,  and  the  question  arose  as  to  who  was  the  man 
who  should  be  the  leader,  the  matter  was  forgotten.  A  meet- 
ing was  called.  Sidney  Rigdon,  the  most  mighty  and  elo- 
quent man  of  his  age,  rose  up  and  said :  T  will  be  the  guard- 
ian of  the  Church,  holding  it  for  Joseph.'  I  listened  to  Rig- 
don and  weighed  his  claim  for  a  short  time  after  he  closed 
his  plea.  Brigham  Young  arose,  and  when  he  spoke,  I 
jumped  from  my  seat  and  turned  around  to  face  him,  for  the 
voice  was  the  voice  of  Joseph  Smith.  I  looked  at  him  and 
there  before  me  stood  the  personage  of  the  Prophet  Joseph 
almost  glorified  in  appearance.  I  knew  then  where  the  cloak 
of  the  Prophet  fell.  I  remembered  then  what  he  had  said, 
and  I  knew  and  still  know  that  Brigham  Young  was  a 
Prophet  of  God — and  true  successor  to  Joseph  Smith." 


382  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF   MORMONISM 

In  the  next  place,  these  apostles,  with  President  Young 
at  their  head,  were  sustained  "by  the  confidence,  faith,  and 
prayers  of  the  Church."  From  the  very  first  the  law  of  "com- 
mon consent"  has  been  in  vogue  among  the  Saints.  On  the 
day  that  the  Church  was  organized,  Joseph  asked  those  few 
persons  then  in  Peter  Whitmer's  house  at  Fayette,  whether 
they  would  sustain  himself  and  Oliver  Cowdery  as  the  first 
and  the  second  elder,  respectively.  Later  when  the  quorum 
of  apostles  was  organized,  the  Prophet,  as  we  have  seen, 
first  asked  the  body  of  priesthood  assembled  on  the  occasion 
whether  they  wished  such  an  organization  effected.  And 
later  still,  Sidney  Rigdon  had  been  sustained  by  the  people 
as  first  counselor  to  Joseph  against  the  Prophet's  expressed 
wishes.  No  man  in  democratic  "Mormonism"  can  hold  a 
public  office  without  the  approval  of  the  people  in  the  local- 
ity where  he  presides.  And  on  the  other  hand,  this  popular 
consent  forms  one  of  the  essentials  to  the  holding  of  any 
position  in  the  Church.  This,  the  apostles  obtained  at  this 
August  meeting  and  on  subsequent  occasions ;  and  hence  in 
this  respect  also  they  were  in  full  harmony  with  the  law  as 
given  in  the  revelation.  :i 

To  the  question,  "Who  ordained  Brigham  Young?  there 
can  be  but  one  answer — Joseph  Smith  ordained  him.  The 
Prophet  had  conferred  upon  the  heads  of  the  apostles,  in- 
cluding President  Young,  all  the  keys  of  power  and  author- 
ity that  he  himself  possessed,  by  virtue  of  which  ordination 
and  bestowal  of  authority,  Brigham  Young  occupied  his 
position  of  President.  "And  it  is  something  to  his  credit 
both  for  consistency  and  strength  of  character  that  he  always 
held  that  any  other  ordination  was  unnecessary."* 


*I  have  not  deemed  it  necessary  here  to  prove  that  some- 
body else  was  not  the  legal  successor  to  the  Prophet.  If  the 
reader  wishes  to  pursue  further  this  aspect  of  the  subject,  he 
may  do  so  with  such  works  as  Roberts's  "Succession  in  the  Presi- 
dency of  the   Church." 


THE    VOICE   OF   THE    SHEPHERD  383 

Brigham  Young  and  the  Twelve. 

The  Saints  made  no  mistake  in  following  the  lead  of  Presi- 
dent Young  and  his  fellow  apostles  who  were  faithful,  as 
subsequent  events  abundantly  proved.  They  were  men  of 
large  practical  experience,  whose  knees  had  never  quaked 
under  the  heavy  weight  of  responsibility  which  they  bore — 
men  who  had  endured,  uncomplainingly,  the  toil  and  sacri- 
fice, the  abuse  and  hardship,  which  the  Saints  had  suffered  in 
Missouri — men  whom  the  people  had  many  times  proved  to 
be  worthy  of  their  love  and  confidence.  They  had  been  with 
the  Church  from  the  beginning,  and  had  not  only  taken  an 
active  part  in  the  ministry,  but  had  never  shirked  a  trust. 
It  is  no  marvel,  therefore,  that  the  Saints  felt  no  concern  for 
the  future  under  the  leadership  of  such  men. 

Brigham  Young  was  at  this  time  the  president  of  the 
quorum  of  apostles,  and  upon  him,  mainly,  rested  the  multi- 
plied duties  of  leading  and  counseling  the  Saints  which  the 
martyred  Prophet  had  so  long  and  faithfully  performed. 
This  remarkable  man,  born  of  humble  parentage  in  the  dawn 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  was  himself  a  prophecy  of  what 
that  wonderful  century  would  be.  He  spent  his  early  days 
with  his  father's  family  on  a  farm  in  Vermont  and  in  New 
York,  whither  they  moved  when  Brigham  was  about  three 
years  old.  With  only  eleven  days  schooling,  he  grew  to  vig- 
orous manhood  in  the  frontiers  of  the  State,  setting  out  for 
himself  at  the  age  of  sixteen  as  carpenter,  joiner,  painter, 
and  glazier,  and  marrying  at  twenty-three.  Hearing,  in 
1830,  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  and  the  Book  of  Mormon,  he 
began  investigating  "Mormonism"  with  the  result  that,  two 
years  later,  he  embraced  the  new  faith.  Henceforth,  his 
life's  work  was  to  be  among  a  different  people  and  in  differ- 
ent conditions  from  those  he  had  theretofore  known.  He  was 
called  to  a  higher,  broader,  and  nobler  work  than  that  which 
his  most   hopeful   ambitions   could   picture — a   work   which 


384  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

should  make  him  known  wherever  men  could  appreciate 
mighty  governing  genius,  and  wherever  their  religious  feel- 
ings could  be  agitated  by  the  name  "Mormonism." 

From  this  time  on  he  was  a  conspicuous  figure  among 
the  Latter-day  Saints.  Not  long  after  his  conversion  he 
visited  the  Prophet  at  Kirtland ;  and  being  asked  to  pray  one 
evening  by  Joseph  he  spoke  in  tongues,  which  the  Prophet 
pronounced  to  be  the  pure  Adamic  language.  Joseph  de- 
clared on  this  occasion  that  Brother  Brigham  should  yet  pre- 
side over  the  Church.  He  was  one  of  the  most  devoted  fol- 
lowers of  Joseph.  When,  during  those  uncertain  days  of 
apostasy  at  Kirtland,  Joseph's  former  friends,  those  who  had 
stood  high  in  the  Church,  turned  against  him,  becoming  his 
murderous  enemies,  Brigham  continued  steadfast  in  his  de- 
votion to  his  new-made  friend,  and  amid  the  imprecations  of 
apostates,  and  direful  threats,  he  defended  the  Prophet  at 
the  risk  of  his  own  life.  He  was  now  an  apostle.  He 
preached  much  both  at  home  and  in  many  of  the  eastern 
states. 

When  the  cruel  exterminating  order  was  issued  by  the 
infamous  Boggs,  and  when  Joseph  and  many  of  the  leading 
brethren  were  languishing  in  jails  for  alleged  crimes,  Apostle 
Young  was  active  in  preparing  the  Saints  to  leave  Mis- 
souri. He  it  was  who,  under  God,  nerved  the  people  to  ac- 
complish that  melancholy  exodus,  who  found  in  Illinois  a 
haven  of  rest  for  their  weary  feet,  and  who  saw  to  the  many 
details  of  the  preparation,  the  journey,  and  the  destination. 
God  was  educating  him  for  that  greater  exodus  from  Nau- 
voo  to  the  great  West*. 

But  a  wide  experience  was  not  the  only  qualification 
which  Brigham  Young  possessed.  This  only  united  with  a 
great  original  genius.  He  was,  at  this  time,  in  his  forty- 
fourth  year,  of  manly  and  dignified  bearing,  not  so  portly  as 
he  became  later,  and  his  face  clean  shaven.     He  was  pre- 


THE   VOICE   OF    THE    SHEPHERD  385 

eminently  a  practical  man;  his  large  experience,  combined 
with  his  native  genius,  had  made  him  so.  He  was  far- 
sighted,  and  able  to  turn  the  tide  of  circumstances.  Brave 
almost  to  rashness,  he  was  yet  cool  and  self-possessed  in  the 
midst  of  danger.  Of  magnetic  presence,  he  was  a  man  to 
whom  others  instinctively  turned  for  guidance,  and  a  man 
whom  everyone,  even  those  not  of  his  faith,  at  once  felt  to  be 
a  great  spirit.  He  was  a  man  of  unbounded  resources,  and 
quick  to  act  in  an  emergency.  It  is  thought  that  had  he  been 
at  Nauvoo  at  the  time  of  the  martyrdom,  that  dark  tragedy 
would  never  have  occurred ;  for,  when  the  Prophet  and  his 
party  crossed  the  river  to  go  West,  Brigham  would  have  sus- 
tained him  in  the  undertaking,  and  would  not  have  permitted 
the  perfidy  of  Joseph's  "friends"  to  pursuade  him  to  return. 
Brigham  was  intensely  earnest ;  his  whole  soul  thrilled  with 
faith  in  his  great  work.  This  earnestness  small  men  have 
mistaken  for  fanaticism ;  it  was  largely  this  that  made  him 
what  he  was.  No  commonplace  talents  could  have  mastered 
the  situation  in  which  the  Saints  found  themselves  at  the 
Prophet's  death.  And  yet  Brigham  Young  was  a  simple 
man,  of  simple  life  and  simple  habits.  He  lived  on  a  very 
plain  diet  all  his  life;  regarded  himself  to  the  last  as  an  un- 
educated man  ;  and  gave  credit  to  the  Lord  for  all  that  he  had 
accomplished  in  his  long  and  useful  career.  With  such  a 
man  at  the  head  of  affairs  it  was  not  likely  that  the  Church 
would  be  broken  up,  but  there  was  every  indi«ation,  on  the 
contrary,  that  it  would  receive  a  new  impetus,  which  actually 
proved  to  be  the  case. 

There  was  plenty  of  need  for  brave  and  earnest  men. 
The  Church  needed  to  be  purified  of  hypocrites  that  were 
lurking  beneath  its  shadow  ;  the  commandment  of  the  Lord 
concerning  the  temple  had  to  be  fulfilled ;  the  Church  at 
home  and  abroad  had  to  be  strengthened.    And  all  this  in  the 


386  ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

shade  of  a  black  cloud  of  persecution  that  threatened  to  burst 
at  any  moment. 

The  work  of  purging  the  Church  of  questionable  char- 
acters was  prosecuted  with  vigor.  Among  the  first  to  be 
dealt  with  were  Sidney  Rigdon  and  those  whom  he  had  in- 
duced to  believe  his  pretentions.  At  the  October  conference 
William  Marks  was  dropped  from  his  position  as  president 
of  the  Nauvoo  Stake,  and  John  Smith  sustained  in  his  stead. 
Later,  William  Smith,  one  of  the  twelve  apostles  and  also 
the  patriarch  of  the  Church,  was  excommunicated.  A  num- 
ber of  others  of  less  prominence  in  the  Church  who  had 
either  fallen  into  sin  or  who  had  allied  themselves  with  those 
that  tried  to  lead  the  people  astray,  and  would  not  repent, 
were  summarily  cut  off. 

And  the  work  of  building  up  the  various  organizations 
went  on  apace.  Amasa  Lyman,  who  had  been  previously 
ordained  an  apostle,  and  who  had  been  a  faithful  friend  to 
Joseph  and  a  diligent  worker  in  the  cause,  was  admitted  into 
the  quorum  of  Twelve.  Those  who  held  the  office  of 
Seventy  were,  during  1844  and  1845,  arranged  into  thirty- 
two  quorums,  each  with  seven  presidents  according  to  the 
pattern  set  by  the  Prophet  Joseph.  Bishops  were  appointed 
to  preside  over  the  various  wards  of  the  city,  with  instruc- 
tions to  choose  deacons  to  watch  in  the  various  districts. 
Apostles  Wilford  Woodruff  and  Parley  P.  Pratt  were  sent 
on  missions,  the  former  to  England  to  preside  over  that 
mission,  the  latter  to  New  York  to  tatv3  charge  of  matters 
pertaining  to  emigration. 

But  the  work  on  the  temple  occupied  most  attention.  In 
January,  1841,  it  will  be  remembered,  the  Lord  gave  a  revela- 
tion through  the  Prophet  Joseph,  in  which  he  commanded 
the  Saints  to  build  a  temple  wherein  they  were  to  perform 
sacred  ordinances,  including  ordinances  for  the  dead.  The 
Lord  added  that  if  they  did  not  build  this  sacred  house  they 


THE    VOICE   OF    THE    SHEPHERD  387 

and  their  dead  should  be  rejected  by  Him.  Up  to  the  death 
of  the  Prophet,  only  one  story  of  the  edifice  had  been  erected. 
Hence  the  Saints  were  very  anxious  that  the  building  should 
be  finished.  So  the  apostles  bent  all  their  energies  toward 
completing  it.  They  sent  missionaries  to  the  branches  of  the 
Church  in  the  eastern  States,  inviting  all  the  able-bodied 
men  to  come  to  Nauvoo  to  assist  in  building  the  temple.  They 
were  to  take  with  them  their  gold,  iron,  brass,  and  every- 
thing that  might  be  needed  in  the  structure  ;  and  if  they  lived 
at  a  marketable  distance  from  the  city,  they  were  to  carry 
their  provisions.  Those  who  could  not  come  were  to  send 
what  money  they  could  afford.  The  Saints  at  Nauvoo  were 
required  to  devote  every  tenth  day  to  work  on  the  temple. 
In  May,  1845,  the  capstone  was  laid  at  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning  with  imposing  ceremonies.  In  December  of  this 
year  and  January  of  the  next  (1845  and  1846),  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  Saints  received  their  endowments  in  the  temple. 
On  the  evening  of  April  30th,  it  was  privately  dedicated, 
Elders  Orson  Hyde,  Wilford  Woodruff,  Joseph  and  Phineas 
H.  Young,  John  M.  Bernhisel,  Joseph  L.  Heywood,  and  sev- 
eral others  being  present.  The  dedicatory  prayer  was  offered 
by  Elder  Joseph  Young.  On  the  next  day  the  building  was 
publicly  dedicated  by  Elder  Hyde,  Elders  Woodruff,  Babbit, 
and  Stratton  being  also  present  and  taking  part  in  the  ser- 
vices. Thus  the  Saints,  by  the  most  extraordinary  exertions, 
amidst  continuous  opposition,  finished  the  House  of  the 
Lord,  and  fulfilled  the  commandment  given  them  through 
the  Prophet  Joseph,  though  at  the  very  time  they  were  mak- 
ing preparations  to  leave  it  to  be  desecrated  by  enemies. 

In  the  meantime,  a  proclamation  was  sent  to  the  Saints 
scattered  abroad,  giving  them  official  notification  of  the  death 
of  their  leader,  and  urging  them  to  press  on  in  their  duties, 
for  they  were  not  without  a  head  to  guide  them.  A  procla- 
mation was  also  issued  to  the  kings  and  rulers  of  the  nations, 


388  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

sounding  the  gospel  note  to  them,  and  warning  them  of  the 
judgments  to  come  upon  the  earth  if  the  people  repented  not. 
A  little  later,  when  the  Saints  were  pressed  more  closely  by 
their  enemies,  a  petition  was  drafted  and  sent  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  and  to  the  governors  of  all  the 
states,  except  Missouri  and  Illinois,  asking  redress  for  past 
wrongs  and  protection  from  impending  ones.  It  was  a  noble 
and  dignified  document,  but  was  not  responded  to  except  by 
the  governor  of  Arkansas. 

With  these  things,  came  another  series  of  disasters  upon 
the  "Mormon"  people,  which  ultimately  compelled  them  to 
seek  a  new  asylum  of  rest. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  NAUVOO 

Before  the  Prophet's  death,  while  he  was  in  the  greatest 
danger  from  his  enemies,  he  had  declared :  "It  is  thought  by 
some  that  our  enemies  would  be  satisfied  with  my  destruc- 
tion ;  but  I  tell  you  that  as  soon  as  they  have  shed  my  blood, 
they  will  thirst  for  the  blood  of  every  man  in  whose  heart 
dwells  a  single  spark  of  the  fulness  of  the  gospel.  The  op- 
position of  these  men  is  moved  by  the  spirit  of  the  adversary 
of  all  righteousness.  It  is  not  only  to  destroy  me,  but  every 
man  and  woman  who  dares  believe  the  doctrines  that  God 
hath  inspired  me  to  teach  to  this  generation." 

This  great  leader  was  scarcely  in  his  grave  before  his 
remarkable  prediction  began  to  be  fulfilled  with  singular 
literalness.  For  a  moment  after  their  diabolical  deed  at  Car- 
thage, these  enemies  were  appalled  at  what  they  had  done ; 
and  hence  for  a  short  time  they  ceased  active  operations 
against  the  "Mormons."  They  did  not  follow  up  their  in- 
famous work  for  another  reason  also.  Knowing  that  Joseph 
v,as  the  guiding  genius  of  "Mormonism,"  they  hoped  that  in 
his  death  would  be  found  the  destruction  of  his  religion. 
They  looked  on,  therefore,  for  a  time  to  await  the  result  of 
their  crime.  But  when  they  saw  that  "Mormonism,"  not  only 
retained  its  strength  and  vigor,  but  that  under  the  directing 
hand  of  Brigham  Young  and  the  apostles,  it  was  actually 
assuming  more  formidable  proportions  than  ever,  they  re- 
newed their  efforts  with  increased  determination  to  accom- 
plish their  object. 

It  may  be  thought  that  we  attribute  too  much  cool  delib- 
eration to  those  who  opposed  the   Saints  at  Nauvoo;  but 


390  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

when  it  is  remembered  that  political  jealousy,  arising  from 
the  fact  that  the  Saints  held  the  balance  of  power  in  the 
country  and  in  a  general  state  election,  always  found  its  com- 
plement in  religious  animosity,  and  that  the  most  prominent 
politicians  of  the  State  were  arrayed  against  the  "Mormon" 
people,  it  will  not  appear  that  we  have  exaggerated  the  op- 
position that  drove  the  Saints  from  Illinois. 

Threats  and  Vilification  Once  More. 

To  gain  their  ends  evil  men  resorted  to  their  old  tactics  of 
arousing  again,  by  abuse  and  misrepresentation,  the  general 
hatred  of  the  people  for  the  "Mormons."  It  was  commonly 
reported  that  the  Saints  were  thieves  and  counterfeiters,  and 
that  they  protected  criminals  of  every  character  who  came 
among  them.  That  these  charges  had  no  foundation  in  fact 
is  shown  by  the  testimony  of  those  non-"Mormons"  who  had 
investigated  them  and  also  by  the  frank  conduct  of  the  city 
council.  Governor  Ford  said  in  his  message  to  the  legisla- 
ture in  1845  that  he  "could  not  ascertain  that  there  were  a 
greater  proportion  of  thieves  in  that  community  than  in  any 
other  of  the  same  number  of  inhabitants,  and  that  perhaps  if 
the  city  of  Nauvoo  were  compared  with  St.  Louis,  or  any 
other  western  city,  the  proportion  would  not  be  so  great." 
The  deputy  sheriff  of  Hancock  county  declared  that  the 
thieves  which  infested  that  part  of  Illinois  were  not  "Mor- 
mons" at  all,  that  the  stolen  property  was  brought  through 
Nauvoo  into  Iowa,  and  that,  though  there  were  men  in  that 
city  who  aided  and  abetted  theft,  they  were  neither  "Mor- 
mons" nor  fellowshiped  by  "Mormons."  The  city  council 
challenged  anyone  to  show  a  single  instance  where  criminals 
had  been  screened  in  Nauvoo,  and  at  the  same  time  invited 
those  who  supposed  that  their  property  was  secreted  in  the 
■city  to  institute  a  search  for  it,  and  proffered  to  aid  in  locat- 
ing it.    But  no  one  ever  accepted  this  invitation  or  took  up 


THE   LAST  DAYS  OF   NAUVOO  391 

the  challenge.  In  order  to  disabuse  the  public  mind  the 
Saints  sent  out  men  over  all  the  country  with  abundant  proof 
of  their  entire  innocence  of  the  charges  against  them.  But  all 
to  no  purpose ;  the  sentiment  against  them  was  too  great. 

"The  naked  truth,"  wrote  Governor  Ford  to  the  Saints 
at  the  time,  "is,  that  most  well-informed  persons  condemn  in 
the  most  unqualified  manner  the  mode  in  which  the  Smiths 
were  put  to  death  ;  but  nine  out  of  ten  of  such  accompany  the 
expression  of  their  disapprobation  by  a  manifestation  of  their 
pleasure  that  they  are  dead.  The  disapproval  is  most  un- 
usually cold  and  without  feeling.  It  is  a  disapproval  which 
appears  to  be  called  for,  on  their  part,  by  decency,  by  a  re- 
spect for  the  laws  and  horror  of  mobs,  but  does  not  flow 
warm  from  the  heart.  The  unfortunate  victims  of  this  as- 
sassination were  generally  and  thoroughly  hated  throughout 
the  country,  and  it  is  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  their 
death  has  produced  any  reaction  in  the  public  mind  resulting 
in  active  sympathy;  if  you  think  so,  you  are  mistaken.  Most 
that  is  said  on  the  subject  is  merely  from  the  teeth  out ;  and 
your  people  may  depend  on  the  fact,  that  public  feeling  is 
now,  at  this  time,  as  thoroughly  against  them  as  it  has  ever 
been."  He  went  on  in  this  letter  to  confess  his  total  inability 
as  Governor  of  the  state  to  cope  with  the  situation,  though 
he  admitted  that  the  "Mormons"  had  acted  in  a  perfectly 
lawful  and  honorable  manner. 

In  the  autumn  of  1845,  an  anti-"Mormon"  meeting  was 
held  near  the  Morley  settlement,  a  few  miles  from  Nauvoo, 
for  the  purpose  of  devising  means  for  the  expulsion  of  the 
Saints  from  the  State.  If  we  may  believe  Governor  Ford, 
arrangements  had  been  actually  made  to  have  some  of  the 
mob  fire  upon  the  house  in  which  the  meeting  was  going  on, 
but  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  hurt  any  one.  This  was  done ; 
and  immediately  the  meeting  broke  up  in  confusion.  Men 
galloped  wildly  in  all  directions  spreading  the  alarm  that  the 


392  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS  OF    MORMONISM 

"Mormons"  had  begun  their  work  of  death  among  the  citi- 
zens. Shortly  afterwards,  an  attack  was  made  on  the  Mor- 
ley  settlement.  Nineteen  houses  were  burned  to  the  ground 
and  the  inhabitants— men,  women,  and  children— were 
driven  out  to  seek  shelter  as  best  they  might. 

This  act  of  depredation  sounded  the  tocsin  of  war  to  the 
mobocrats,  and  warned  the  Saints  that  there  was  no  peace  or 
safety  for  them  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  Respectable  jour- 
nals like  the  Quincy  Whig  were  loud  in  condemnation  of 
these  and  other  outrages.  But  the  sentiment  of  the  great 
masses  was  too  strong  against  the  "Mormons"  for  the  dis- 
approval of  the  better  classes  to  be  of  much  avail.  From 
now  on,  this  adverse  feeling  was  fierce  and  aggressive. 

A  mass  meeting  of  the  citizens  was  convened  at  Quincy, 
where  it  was  decided  that,  since  the  public  sentiment  was 
against  the  Saints,  the  only  thing  for  them  to  do  was,  "to 
obey  the  public  will,  and  leave  the  state  as  speedily  as  pos- 
sible." This  bit  of  gratuitous  counsel  was  accomplished  by  a 
mild  threat  that,  if  the  Saints  refused  to  adopt  this  course, 
"a  last  extreme" — force — would  be  resorted  to.  A  committee 
was  appointed  to  confer  with  the  Church  authorities  upon 
the  matter.  The  Twelve  wrote  a  statement  to  this  commit- 
tee that,  since  the  public  feelings  were  aroused  against  their 
people,  and  since  it  was  their  own  desire  to  leave  the  State, 
they  would  do  so  as  early  as  the  following  spring ;  but  that 
they  were  not  disposed  to  sacrifice  their  property.  They 
submitted  that  a  committee  consisting  of  both  parties  should 
be  appointed  to  transact  business,  that  the  Gentiles  should  use 
their  influence  with  buyers  to  take  the  Saints'  property  at  a 
reasonable  price;  and  then  that  both  parties  should  use  all 
lawful  means  to  preserve  the  peace.  They  denied  the  truth 
of  the  report  that  they  intended  to  put  in  crops  for  the  com- 
ing year.  These  things  the  committee  reported  to  the  people 
of  Quincy,  though  they  complained  that  the  report  was  not 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  NAUVOO 


393 


so  full  and  decisive  as  it  ought  to  be !  Before  the  close  of 
the  meeting,  resolutions  were  adopted  accepting  the  propo- 
sition of  the  Church  authorities  declaring  it  too  late  now  to 
settle  any  difficulties  between  the  "Mormons"  and  the  other 
people  of  Hancock  county,  and  promising,  not  only  to  pre- 
vent any  further  outbreaks,  but  in  no  way  "to  hinder  or 
obstruct  them  in  their  efforts  to  sell !" 

Early  in  October  a  convention  of  the  same  class  of  peo- 
ple, for  the  same  purpose,  was  convoked  to  meet  at  Carthage. 
There  were  representatives  from  nine  counties.  A  commit- 
tee on  evidence  was  appointed,  consisting  of  the  bitterest 
enemies  of  the  Saints.  Later  this  committee  reported, 
charging  all  manner  of  crimes  to  the  "Mormons,"  and  "sup- 
porting" these  charges  by  a  number  of  affidavits.  The  course 
adopted  here  was  identical  with  that  followed  by  the  Quincy 
people;  they  requested  that  the  district  judge  hold  no  court 
in  that  district,  inasmuch  as  none  could  be  held  without 
producing  a  collision  between  the  "Mormons"  and  the  anti- 
"Mormohs."  Thus  these  counties  sanctioned  the  acts  of 
lawlessness  on  the  part  of  mobocrats  in  driving  the  Saints 
and  destroying  their  property. 

But  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  nothing  was  done  by 
the  Saints  and  their  friends  towards  an  amicable  settlement 
of  these  difficulties.  They  had  few  friends,  indeed.  Those 
men  of  influence  who  had  taken  their  part  at  the  time  when 
they  first  entered  Illinois,  had  done  so,  we  have  reason  to 
fear,  partly  because  they  saw  that  the  Saints  would  likely 
become  a  political  power  in  the  state,  and  that  they  could 
turn  the  tide  of  that  power  in  favor  of  themselves.  But  now 
that  public  sentiment  was  so  overwhelmingly  against  the 
"Mormons,"  these  political  demagogues,  otherwise  honest 
enough,  determined  to  win  popularity  by  persecuting  the 
people  they  had  once  befriended.  Yet  the  Saints  had  some 
friends  left — at  any  rate,  friends  to  law  and  order.    Among 


394  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

these,  the  sheriff  of  Hancock  county,  Mr.  J.  B.  Backenstos, 
was  the  most  active.  He  used  his  utmost  endeavors  to  pre- 
vent these  outrages  on  the  part  of  the  mobs.  He  invited  the 
people  of  the  county  to  act  as  a  posse  comitatus  to  go  against 
the  mobs  that  were  constantly  plundering  the  "Mormon" 
villages  wherever  they  found  insufficient  resistance.  In  these 
things  the  Saints  generally  took  no  active  part,  because  the 
sheriff  thought  it  best  for  them  not  to  do  so,  though  they 
kept  themselves  in  readiness  for  any  emergency.  Once 
when  the  sheriff  and  his  small  band  went  against  these  ma- 
rauders, he  was  so  stoutly  resisted  that  his  life  was  threat- 
ened. He  thereupon  commanded  Porter  Rockwell,  who 
was  among  his  followers,  to  shoot  the  leader;  and  this 
Rockwell  did,  killing  him  instantly.  Later,  Mr.  Backenstos 
was  arrested  and  tried  for  murder,  but  was  acquitted.  For 
these  endeavors  to  maintain  order  and  peace,  he  was  hated 
by  the  mobs.  They  pillaged  his  house  at  Carthage,  and  his 
family  were  thrust  out  of  their  home,  with  threats  and  vio- 
lence.    His  resignation  was  persistently  demanded. 

Removal  of  the  Main  Body. 

In  the  meantime,  the  Saints  were  making  active  preparations 
to  leave  for  the  great  West.  The  authorities  of  the  Church, 
it  will  be  remembered,  had  promised  to  leave  as  early  in  the 
spring  as  they  could,  providing  the  non-"Mormons"  would 
use  their  influence  in  the  matter  of  disposing  of  their  prop- 
erty;  and  the  Saints  did  use  all  their  power  to  fulfill  their 
part  of  the  agreement.  Not  so  their  enemies.  Not  only  did 
they  not  use  their  influence  towards  facilitating  business 
transactions,  but  used  that  influence  against  them,  and  ac- 
tually renewed  hostilities.  There  is  too  much  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  the  mob  were  eager  to  possess  the  houses  and  the 
property  of  the  Saints,  and  knowing  that,  in  a  little  while, 
the  latter  would  have  to  leave  these  whether  they  sold  or 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  NAUVOO  395 

not,  they  were   not   at  all  anxious   to  buy   or   see   others 
buying  anything  of  them. 

Nauvoo,  therefore,  presented  a  busy  scene  during  these 
days.  Committees  were  moving  about  disposing  of  prop- 
erty, and  the  proceeds  were  immediately  turned  into  wagons, 
working  animals,  and  provisions.  Blacksmiths,  carpenters, 
joiners,  wheelwrights  were  busy  all  the  day  long  making 
and  repairing  wagons.  The  sound  of  hammer  and  anvils 
could  be  heard  even  far  into  the  night.  All  work  not  di- 
rected towards  preparations  for  a  removal  of  the  Saints, 
except  only  that  on  the  temple,  was  suspended.  The  Church 
authorities  that  were  at  Nauvoo,  with  President  Young  at 
the  head,  were  active  in  instructing  the  Saints  how  to  pro- 
ceed, and  in  directing  everything. 

Their  enemies  were  impatient  of  the  long  delay,  though 
it  was  only  February,  1846;  and  so,  in  this  month,  a  com- 
pany of  five  hundred  Saints,  including  the  Twelve  and  the 
High  Council,  crossed  the  Mississippi,  and  were  soon  lost 
on  the  plains  of  Iowa.     From  this  time  on,  the  Saints  con- 
tinued to  cross  the  river  to  join  those  already  departed,  until 
by  the  latter  part  of  April  the  great  body  of  the  Church  had 
left  Nauvoo.     They  who  remained  behind  were  mainly  the 
poor,  the  aged,  and  sick — those,  in  short,  who  were  the  least 
able  to  help  themselves.    There  were  men  that  had  endured 
much  hardship  on  account  of  their  religion  and  had  worn 
themselves  but  in  its  service;  there  were  women  and  chil- 
dren whose  husbands  and  fathers  were  pressing  their  way 
through  the  dreary  wilderness,  suffering  fatigue  and  hunger 
worse  than  death,  to  fight  for  the  land  that  had  driven  them 
forth  ;  there  were  old  men  and  women  who  remained  be- 
hind only  because,  on  account  of  their  poverty  and  sickness, 
they    would    prove   burdensome    to    the   able    and    healthy. 
.Surely,   the   Saints   were  warranted  by   every  principle  of 
mercy  and  humanity,  notwithstanding  the  cruelties  of  the 


396  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF   MORMON1SM 

past,  in  believing  that  no  mob  could  be  collected  so  utterly 
destitute  of  humane  feelings  as  to  plunder  and  drive  these 
helpless  people.  But  they  had  sadly  mistaken  the  feelings 
of  their  foe,  for  almost  as  soon  as  these  were  left  thus  alone, 
a  mob,  altogether  abandoned  by  feelings  of  kindness,  jus- 
tice, and  mercy,  came  upon  them,  and  a  series  of  the  most 
cruel  acts  were  perpetrated,  of  which  a  parallel  can  scarcely 
be  found  among  savage  tribes. 

The  Unhappy  Remnants. 

The  first  indication  of  this  barbarity  was  the  kidnapping  of 
some  of  the  brethren.  One  day  in  July  while  eight  men  were 
harvesting  wheat  in  a  field  about  twelve  miles  from  Nauvoo 
they  were  suddenly  surrounded  by  an  armed  mob.  Deprived 
first  of  their  weapons,  these  helpless  men  were  severely 
beaten  with  hickory  withes,  and  afterwards  sent  to  Nauvoo, 
with  threats  that,  if  they  looked  back,  they  would  be  killed. 
For  this  act,  two  of  the  mobbers  were  arrested  and  detained. 
Then  followed  proceedings  worse  than  the  first.  Five  men, 
near  Pontoosuc,  a  small  town  about  eleven  miles  northwest 
of  Nauvoo,  were  pounced  upon  by  a  large  force  of  armed 
men.  In  vain  they  protested  against  such  proceedings.  Why 
were  they  arrested?  For  the  crime  of  being  "Mormons." 
By  what  authority?  By  the  authority  of  deadly  weapons. 
Compelled  by  their  captors,  they  marched  almost  incessantly, 
day  and  night,  they  knew  not  whither,  urged  on,  when  they 
showed  signs  of  weariness,  by  the  points  of  bayonets.  Twice 
they  were  about  to  be  shot,  escaping  death  only  because  the 
mob  feared  to  be  discovered,  by  the  noise  of  their  rifles,  to 
the  "Mormons"  who  they  thought  were  in  pursuit.  Once 
they  were  on  the  verge  of  being  poisoned,  escaping  only  be- 
cause the  deadly  drink  had  a  suspicious  effect  on  one  of  their 
number.     Finally,  after  fourteen  days'  captivity,  they  were 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  NAUVOO  397 

permitted,  after  long  appeals  to  the  humanity  of  their  cap- 
tors, to  go  free.    Later  fifteen  of  the  mob  were  arrested. 

This  affair,  however,  was  not  the  only  source  of  diffi- 
culty to  the  Saints.  Additional  trouble  grew  out  of  politics. 
Previously  to  either  departure  for  the  West  the  apostles 
warned  the  Saints  that  remained  at  Nauvoo  against  inter- 
fering in  elections,  or  against  exercising  their  right  of  suf- 
frage. But  this  warning  the  Saints  disregarded;  and  the 
result  was  what  the  apostles  had  foreseen.  The  interest  of 
the  Saints  in  the  election  gave  fresh  occasion  for  bitterness 
on  the  part  of  their  enemies,  and  failed  to  accomplish  that 
for  which  they  hoped — the  election  of  men  that  would  sus- 
tain the  law ;  for  these  were  beaten  at  the  polls  by  several 
hundred  votes. 

Still,  a  well-defined  pretext  was  needed  by  the  anti-"Mor- 
mons"  to  go  up  against  Nauvoo.  This  they  were  not  long 
in  finding.  It  happened  that  William  Pickett,  who  had  per- 
sonally excited  the  ill-will  of  one  of  the  mobbers,  from 
whom  he  had  taken  a  gun  which  had  been  stolen  from  him 
on  the  occasion  of  the  kidnaping.  A  "warrant"  for  his  ar- 
rest was  immediately  issued,  and  served  upon  him  by  one 
John  Carlin,  a  special  constable  of  Carthage.  Pickett  asked 
whether  Carlin  would  guarantee  his  safety  from  violence  at 
the  hands  of  his  enemies  if  he  went  to  Carthage,  and  being 
informed  that  he  would  not,  he  refused  to  go  with  the  offi- 
cer. Here,  then,  was  pretext  enough ;  here  was  a  clear  case 
of  resisting  an  officer  of  the  law. 

Returning  to  Carthage,  Carlin  summoned  upwards  of  one 
thousand  men  to  aid  him  in  serving  the  process.  There 
were  constables,  sheriffs,  majors,  colonels,  and  preachers, 
gathered  from  several  counties,  to  assist  an  illegally  appoint- 
ed constable  to  serve  an  illegal  warrant.  But  it  answered 
the  purpose  admirably.  Prominent  among  this  motley  army 
of  "regulators"  was  Levi  Williams,  a  Baptist  preacher,  who 


398  ONE   HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

had  led  the  mob  that  murdered  the  Prophet  and  Patriarch. 
They  met  at  Green  Plains,  the  home  of  Williams,  and  re- 
solved that  if  the  "new  citizens,"  meaning  those  that  had 
purchased  property  of  the  Saints  at  Nauvoo,  did  not  expel 
the  "Mormons"  from  the  State  by  the  tenth  of  September 
following,  they  would  do  it  themselves  with  their  own. 
hands. 

The  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  seeing  these  movements  of  the 
mob,  held  a  meeting  at  which  a  report  was  given  by  a  com- 
mittee previously  appointed  to  wait  upon  the  mob.  This 
committee  reported  that  the  spirit  which  animated  the  anti- 
" Mormons"  was  such  as  to  preclude  any  hope  that  might  be 
entertained  of  an  amicable  settlement.  Resolutions  were 
adopted  denying  strongly  the  right  of  these  mobbers  to  in- 
terfere with  them  in  any  way  whatever.  They  asked  the 
Governor  for  assistance  and  protection,  and  in  answer  he 
sent  Major  James  R.  Parker,  of  the  state  militia,  with  a 
force  of  ten  men,  and  authority  to  muster  what  forces  he 
could  in  the  neighborhood  without  expense  to  the  state  t 
Major  Parker,  when  he  arrived  at  Nauvoo  and  saw  the  situ- 
ation, issued  a  proclamation  in  which  he  declared  that  noth- 
ing was  more  absurd  than  the  idea  that  an  armed  force  was 
necessary  to  execute  civil  process  in  Nauvoo.  "I  hold  my- 
self in  readiness,"  he  said,  "to  aid  in  executing  warrants 
issued  for  the  apprehension  of  any  person  in  this  place,  or  in 
any  other  part  of  the  country,  as  soon  as  the  armed  force 
now  assembled  under  pretence  of  a  constable's  posse  shall 
have  been  disbanded."  He  served  notice  upon  "Constable" 
Carlin  that  he  would  consider  him  and  his  forces  as  a  mob. 
Carlin  replied  that  he  would  regard  Parker  and  his  men  in 
the  same  light.  And  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  here,  that  the 
difficulty  was  therefore  no  longer  between  the  "Mormons" 
and  anti-"Mormons,"  as  such,  but  rather  between  an  armed 
band  of  men  without  the  merest  shred  of  legal  authority 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  NAUVOO  399 

and  the  regularly  constituted  authority  of  the  State.  Parker 
wrote  to  Singleton,  one  of  the  mob  leaders,  expressing  a  de- 
sire to  settle  matters  without  shedding  blood,  but  as  Single- 
ton saw  nothing  in  Parker's  proposition  pointing  to  the  ex- 
pulsion of  the  Saints,  he  rejected  it,  saying,  "I  say  to  you 
with  all  candor,  they  shall  go."  The  pretext  to  which  the 
mob  forces  were  called — to  enforce  legal  process — was  no 
longer  needed ;  for  William  Pickett  was  not  mentioned. 

Acting  in  concert  with  a  committee  of  one  hundred  ap- 
pointed at  a  meeting  at  Quincy,  a  committee  consisting  of 
"Mormons"  and  non-"Mormons"  at  Nauvoo  formulated 
terms  of  settlement.  The  chief  proposition  was  that  the 
Saints  should  leave  the  State  within  sixty  days.  But  these 
terms,  though  satisfactory  to  Singleton,  who  said  that  the 
"Mormons"  had  done  all  that  could  reasonably  be  asked  of 
them,  were  altogether  unsatisfactory  to  the  mob.  Singleton 
and  some  of  his  assistants,  therefore,  resigned  their  com- 
mand, whereupon,  Carlin  appointed  as  commander  one 
Thomas  S.  Brockman,  a  Campbellite  preacher.  "Old  Tom,"" 
as  he  was  familiarly  called,  after  the  mob  had  been  regaled 
with  some  "soul-stirring  speeches,"  gave  order  to  march 
to  the  city  of  Nauvoo. 

It  is  at  this  point  that  we  get  a  glimpse  at  the  character 
of  the  individual  men  that  comprised  the  mob,  and  the  mo- 
tive that  animated  them  in  this  "regulating"  process.  After 
all,  it  was  a  small  matter  to  them  whether  the  Saints  left  the 
State;  the  point  was,  that  they  should  leave  in  the  manner 
dictated  by  the  mob ;  and  that,  too,  before  they  had  time  to 
sell  their  lands  and  houses.  A  committee  had  been  left  at 
Nauvoo  by  the  now  exiled  Saints  to  dispose  of  their  prop- 
erty. But  if  this  committee  were  given  time  to  transact  all 
their  business  there  would  be  nothing  left  for  the  mob.  The 
mob  were  impatient,  therefore,  of  any  delay  that  kept  them 
from  the  entire  possession  of  the  city.     They  were  waitings 


400  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

for  shoes,  and  it  mattered  not  if  they  were  dead  men's. 
They  sought  for  plunder  and  blood,  and  nothing  else  would 
satisfy  them. 

This  mob-force  was  first  seen  by  the  citizens  of  Nauvoo 
in  the  early  part  of  the  forenoon.  The  "new  citizens"  felt  no 
small  degree  of  alarm,  aiad  many  of  them  left  the  city  for 
other  and  safer  quarters.  Major  Parker  having  organized 
four  companies  of  volunteers,  they  were  ordered  out  to  meet 
the  mob,  which  was  now  in  a  field  at  the  head  of  Mulholland 
street,  not  far  from  the  house  of  Squire  Wells.  At  the  sug- 
gestion of  some  gentlemen  from  Quincy,  who  were  by  no 
means  in  sympathy  with  the  mob,  but  who  nevertheless  de- 
sired to  prevent  any  shedding  of  blood,  a  committee  pro- 
ceeded to  the  anti-"Mormon"  camp  to  see  if  there  was  any 
possibility  of  a  compromise.  There  was ;  but  the  conditions 
were  so  outrageous  that  they  were  indignantly  rejected  alike 
by  "Mormon"  and  non-"Mormon."  About  this  time  Parker 
left  the  city  promising  to  send  recruits,  which  never  came ; 
and  Major  Clifford,  who  had  been  commissioned  by  Major 
Flood,  was  in  command  of  the  forces  at  Nauvoo.  These,  how- 
ever, were  but  poorly  equipped  with  arms  and  ammunition. 
They  had  but  two  cannon  made  especially  for  the  occasion 
out  of  an  old  steamboat  shaft,  while  their  enemies  had  five 
good  pieces.  They  numbered  only  about  four  hundred,  with 
not  enough  guns  and  ammunition,  while  the  mob  numbered 
upwards  of  two  thousand  and  had  plenty  of  both.  Never- 
theless, nothing  daunted,  because  they  were  in  the  right, 
they  prepared  for  a  battle. 

For  three  days  there  was  firing  on  both  sides.  On  the 
third  day  the  mob  made  a  desperate  effort  to  reach  Mulhol- 
land street,  the  principal  one  leading  to  Nauvoo,  but  were  re- 
sisted by  an  effort  equally  desperate.  The  "Spartan  Band," 
under  the  command  of  Captain  William  Anderson,  saved  the 
day  for  Nauvoo,  though  at  the  sacrifice  of  the  Captain's  life 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  NAUVOO  401 

and  that  of  his  son,  a  youth  of  fifteen  summers.  The  mob 
forces  were  repulsed,  with  many  losses,  though  the  facts 
were  kept  carefully  concealed ;  and  putting  their  dead  and 
wounded  into  wagons,  they  returned  to  where  they  had  en- 
camped in  the  morning. 

The  citizens  of  Nauvoo,  seeing  that  the  State  authorities 
would  render  them  no  assistance,  despaired  of  defeating 
their  enemies  in  the  long  run.  The  forces  against  them  and 
their  own  deficiencies  in  number  and  equipment  were  so 
great  that  it  was  only  a  matter  of  time  when  they  would  all 
be  put  to  death  and  their  property  destroyed.  And  so  they 
entered  into  negotiations  with  the  mob,  with  the  following 
result :  The  city  was  to  surrender ;  all  arms  were  to  be  de- 
livered to  the  committee ;  all  parties  to  pledge  themselves  to 
protect  persons  and  property  from  violence ;  the  "Mormon" 
population  to  leave  the  state  as  soon  as  they  could ;  and  five 
brethren  to  remain  in  the  city  to  sell  the  property.  These 
terms  were  accepted  by  the  citizens. 

And  so  the  mob  forces  marched  into  the  city;  but  they 
flagrantly  violated  the  conditions  which  they  had  themselves 
dictated.  Contrary  to  the  terms  of  the  treaty,  Brockman 
issued  an  order  expelling  from  the  state,  not  only  the  "Mor- 
mons" that  still  remained,  but  also  all  those  who  had  borne 
arms  in  defense  of  the  city  and  all  who  were  in  any  way 
connected  with  the  "Mormons."  This  order  he  straightway 
proceeded  to  execute.  The  mob  yelled  like  savages  at  their 
victory  over  the  Saints.  They  proceeded  to  occupy  the  tem- 
ple, desecrating  its  holy  precincts  with  vile  jests,  blasphe- 
mous language,  and  horrid  oaths.  A  preacher,  ascending 
the  topmost  tower,  proclaimed  aloud  :  "Peace  to  the  in- 
habitants of  the  earth,  now  the  Mormons  are  driven  out!" 
Members  of  this  plundering  gang  ran  everywhither  ransack- 
ing houses,  taking  whatever  they  could  lay  their  hands  upon 
in  the  shape  of  fire-arms.    They  searched  the  wagons  of  the 


402  ONE    HUNDRED  YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

Saints  that  stood  on  the  banks  of  the  river  ready  to  be  fer- 
ried across,  unpacking  the  contents,  which  they  scattered 
over  the  ground.  The  sick  were  treated  with  cruelty,  and 
even  those  were  brutally  disturbed,  who  were  burying  their 
dead.  At  a  mock  court  held  in  the  temple,  some  of  the 
Saints  were  tried  and  sentenced  to  death ;  others  were  blas- 
phemously baptized  in  the  river  by  mobbers.  These  wretches 
plundered  property  wherever  they  found  it,  without  inquir- 
ing whether  it  belonged  to  the  "Mormons"  or  not. 

Meanwhile,  the  Saints  hurriedly  collected  what  property 
they  could,  and  moved  across  the  Mississippi  to  the  Iowa 
side.  They  left  behind  them  their  homes  and  most  of  their 
property.  They  were  not  granted  sufficient  time  to  secure 
food  for  more  than  a  few  days.  And  there  they  lay  on  the 
west  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  the  aged  and  the  youthful,  the 
sick  and  the  dying,  without  food  or  shelter,  now  scorching 
under  the  rays  of  a  September  sun,  now  shivering  in  the  chill 
of  a  September  night. 

In  this  way  was  Nauvoo  the  Beautiful  compulsorily  evac- 
uated by  the  thrifty  and  peaceful  inhabitants  that  had 
brought  into  view  its  grandeur  and  loveliness.  From  a  dis- 
ease-engendering marsh,  in  the  midst  of  a  country  "marred, 
without  being  improved,  by  the  careless  hands  of  sordid, 
vagabond,  and  idle  settlers,"  it  had  grown  under  the  hands 
of  an  industrious  and  enterprising  people,  into  the  metropo- 
lis and  commercial  center  of  the  great  state  of  Illinois. 
It  had  always  been  filled  with  a  lively,  bustling  people, 
waking  the  echoes  with  the  sounds  of  industry.  But  in  a 
day  had  all  this  beauty  and  glory  been  deserted.  Not  a 
sound  now  disturbed  the  stillness ;  the  din  of  business  was 
no  longer  to  be  heard  in  its  streets ;  no  dog  barked  an  alarm 
to  the  wayfarer,  or  stranger  paced  its  silent  walks  to  ask 
him  why  he  was  there.  The  grain  lay  rotting  in  the  adja- 
cent fields,  and  the  railings  that  enclosed  them  had  been 


THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  NAUVOO  403 

rudely  torn  from  their  places  to  furnish  fuel  to  a  savage  bar- 
becue.   It  was  indeed  a  City  of  the  Dead. 

Nauvoo  never  rallied  from  the  blow  it  now  received. 
Later  the  so-called  new  citizens  returned.  Others  came 
from  distant  parts  of  the  country  to  occupy  land  and  houses 
which  they  could  buy  so  cheap;  and  later  still  a  French 
communistic  society  purchased  much  of  the  property  there, 
including  the  temple  grounds,  and  flourished  in  a  way  until 
1849,  when  the  society  broke  up.  The  city  now  contains 
about  seventeen  hundred  inhabitants,  principally  Germans, 
who  live  by  the  occupation  of  grape-growing.  The  temple 
was  destroyed  in  1848,  and  not  a  stone  remains  today  to 
show  where  this  sacred  and  beautiful  edifice  once  stood. 


PART  FOURTH 

Children  of  the  Wilderness 


CHAPTER  I 

WESTWARD    HO] 

The  Light  of  the  Setting  Sun. 

It  is  generally  supposed  that  the  idea  of  moving  the  whole 
body  of  "Mormons"  to  the  heart  of  the  great  West  originat- 
ed with  President  Brigham  Young.  But  this  is  a  mistake. 
It  can  be  shown  beyond  question  that  had  the  Prophet  Jo- 
seph lived  a  few  years  longer  he  would  himself  have  con- 
ducted the  movement,  irrespective  of  the  difficulties  that 
subsequently  arose  at  Nauvoo  and  the  neighborhood.  Nor 
is  it  detracting  anything  from  the  greatness  of  President 
Young  when  we  ascribe  to  Joseph  the  credit  of  having  first 
conceived  the  idea  of  the  exodus.  The  labor  and  genius  in- 
volved in  the  actual  removal  of  the  "Mormon"  people  from 
Illinois  to  the  Rocky  mountains  and  of  their  subsequent  set- 
tlement in  Utah  will  ever  be  held  a  sufficient  justification  for 
our  calling  Brigham  Young  one  of  the  first  leaders  of  men 
and  the  greatest  colonizer  of  modern  times.  The  laurel- 
wreath  of  victory  is  securely  fastened  upon  his  brow. 

From  the  earliest  days  of  the  Church,  "Westward !"  seems 
to  have  been  its  keynote.  The  idea,  it  appears,  that  the 
West,  not  the  East,  was  destined  to  be  the  abiding-place  of 
the  Church  during  its  probationary  period,  was  grasped  very 
early  by  some  of  the  leading  minds  of  "Mormonism."  The 
first  home  of  the  Saints,  for  instance,  was  on  the  borders  of 


WESTWARD  HO!  405 

Lake  Seneca,  in  western  New  York.     Thence  the  Church 
was  removed,  by  special  command  of  God,  to  northern  Ohio. 
But  in  the  very  circumstances  connected  with  the  removal 
there  was  a  suggestion  that  Kirtland  and  vicinity  was  to  be 
merely  a  temporary  home;  for  not  long  afterwards  Inde- 
pendence,  Missouri,  was   designated  by   revelation   as   the 
gathering  place  of  the  Saints.    At  first,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  it  was  apparently  the  intention  to  move  the  great  ma- 
jority of  the  Church,  if  not  indeed,  the  whole  body  of  "Mor- 
mons," to  Jackson  county.    But  in  1833  the  opposition  which 
the  old  settlers  brought  to  bear  upon  the  new  religion  some- 
what modified  this  general  purpose ;  and  so  Kirtland  became, 
for  the  time-being,   the   place   of   gathering.     Afterwards, 
however,  when  it  became  necessary  for  the  Saints  to  aban- 
don Ohio,  the  counties  north  of  Jackson,  in  Missouri,  were 
chosen  for  settlement;  and  thither  went  almost  the  entire 
body  of  Saints.     Here  probably  they  would  have  remained 
had  not  persecution  ultimately  driven  them  from  the  State. 
There  are  strong  indications  pointing  to  the  belief  in  certain 
leading  men  in  the  Church  at  the  time,  that  Illinois  was  to 
be  only  a  temporary  home  for  "Mormonism,"  and  that  when 
a  removal  occurred  it  would  not  be  zionward,  either.  Nor 
was  it  a  vague,  ill-defined  feeling.     It  was  doubtless  dim 
enough  at  first ;  but  gradually  in  leading  minds  it  became  a 
settled  conviction.     "Mormonism"   had   problems   to   solve 
which  would  be  insoluble  in  the  crowded  East.     It  required 
isolation,  at  least  for  a  time,  to  develop  its  latent  powers 
and  to  show  the  world  that  it  is  a  religion  of  force  and 
vitality,  and  not  a  dead  faith. 

That  this  view  of  the  situation  is  correct  can  be  shown 
by  predictions  uttered  at  the  time  and  by  positive  actions  of 
the  Prophet  Joseph  looking  toward  the  settlement  of  the 
West  by  the  Church. 

First  as  to  the  predictions.     Lorenzo  D.  Young  states  in 


406  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS  OF    MORMONISM 

his  journal  that  while  he  was  at  Kirtland,  in  1831,  lying  sick 
of  a  deadly  malady,  he  was  administered  to  by  Hyrum 
Smith,  who  pronounced  the  remarkable  blessing  upon  his 
head  that  he  would  recover  and  go  with  the  Saints  to  the 
Rocky  mountains  and  there  help  to  perform  a  great  work. 
This  prophecy  made  a  deep  impression  on  his  mind,  as  it  did 
also  on  the  mind  of  Hyrum,  who  seemed  to  be  amazed  at 
the  strange  words  he  had  uttered.  The  sick  man,  it  may  be 
added,  completely  recovered,  and  subsequently,  in  fulfillment 
of  the  prediction,  moved  to  Utah  with  the  body  of  Saints, 
where  he  lived  to  a  great  age. 

Years  after  this,  while  Joseph  the  Prophet,  Sidney  Rig- 
don,  and  Heber  C.  Kimball  were  approaching  the  town  of 
Commerce,  afterward  Nauvoo,  and  President  Rigdon,  weary 
of  the  unrest  that  had  been  his  lot  since  joining  the  Church, 
was  indulging  fond  hopes  concerning  the  apparent  per- 
manency of  this  new  location,  when  Elder  Kimball  rather 
bruskly  interrupted:  "A  very  pretty  place,  indeed,  but  not 
a  long-abiding  home  for  the  Saints!"  The  reputation  of 
Heber  C.  Kimball  as  a  prophet  will  justify  us  in  saying 
that  this  was  not  a  thoughtless  remark,  but  a  word  of  proph- 
ecy uttered  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Cer- 
tainly, it  is  not  very  definite  as  to  where  the  "Mormon" 
people  would  go  from  there ;  but  two  things  are  clear  in  the 
premises ;  namely,  that  the  Saints  were  to  leave  Nauvoo, 
and  that  they  would  not  be  likely  to  go  any  farther  East. 

Lastly,  Joseph  himself  predicted  in  the  clearest  possible 
terms  the  westward  migration  of  his  people.  Writing  under 
date  of  August  6th,  1842,  the  Prophet  says :  "I  had  a  con- 
versation with  a  number  of  brethren,  in  the  shade  of  the 
building  [the  Masonic  Hall,  at  Montrose,  to  which  place 
Joseph  upon  invitation  had  gone  to  "witness  the  installation 
of  the  officers  of  the  Rising  Sun  Lodge"]  on  the  subject  of 
our  persecutions  in  Missouri,  and  the  constant  annoyance 


WESTWARD  HO  !  407 

which  has  followed  us  since  we  were  driven  from  that  state. 
I  prophesied  that  the  Saints  would  continue  to  suffer  much 
affliction  and  would  be  driven  to  the  Rocky  mountains,  many 
would  apostatize,  others  would  be  put  to  death  by  our  per- 
secutors, or  lose  their  lives  in  consequence  of  exposure  to 
disease,  and  some  of  you  will  live  to  go  and  assist  in  making 
settlements  and  build  cities,  and  see  the  Saints  become  a 
mighty  people  in  the  midst  of  the  Rocky  mountains."  An- 
son Call,  who  was  present  when  this  prediction  was  uttered, 
declares  that  Joseph  thereupon  entered  into  a  detailed  de- 
scription of  the  place  to  which  the  Saints  should  go,  men- 
tioning in  particular  "the  snow-capped  mountains"  and  "the 
streams  running  down  from  the  gorges."  He  spoke  also  of 
the  scenes  through  which  the  Saints  should  pass  while  on 
their  way,  of  the  apostasy  that  should  occur,  and  of  the  dead 
that  should  lie  between  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  the 
journey.  Speaking  in  his  journal  of  a  meeting  held  at  the  As- 
sembly room  in  Nauvoo,  the  Prophet  says,  "I  prophesied  that 
within  five  years  we  should  be  out  of  the  power  of  our  old 
enemies,  whether  they  were  apostates  or  of  the  world,  and 
told  the  brethren  to  record  it,  and  when  it  comes  to  pass 
they  need  not  say  they  had  forgotten  the  saying."  It  is  per- 
fectly clear  from  these  predictions  that  the  idea  of  a  home  in 
the  West  for  the  Saints  was  not  a  vague,  uncertain  thing 
in  the  minds,  at  least,  of  the  leaders  of  the  Church  before 
the  death  of  Joseph. 

But  the  Prophet  actually  took  steps  to  plan  an  exodus 
of  his  people  from  Nauvoo  to  the  Rocky  mountains. 

In  the  first  place,  he  made  preparations  for  a  select  com- 
pany of  men  to  scout  the  whole  country  known  as  Oregon 
and  California.  "I  instructed  the  Apostles,"  he  says,  refer- 
ring to  a  meeting  held  on  the  20th  of  February,  1844,  "to 
send  out  a  delegation  and  investigate  the  locations  of  Cali- 
fornia and  Oregon,  and  hunt  out  a  good  location  where  we 


408  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

can  remove  to  after  the  Temple  is  completed,  and  where  we 
can  build  a  city  in  a  day  and  have  a  government  of  our  own 
— get  up  into  the  mountains  where  the  devil  cannot  dig  us 
out,  and  live  in  a  healthy  climate  where  we  can  live  as  long 
as  we  have  a  mind  to."  Accordingly,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Twelve  held  the  following  evening  several  brethren  volun- 
teered to  go  West  for  the  purpose  specified.  In  all,  about 
twenty-five  persons  volunteered  or  were  asked  to  form  this 
expedition,  either  at  this  or  subsequent  meetings.  Among 
these  were  Daniel  Spencer,  Hosea  Stout,  George  D.  Watt, 
and  Samuel  W.  Richards.  At  one  of  the  meetings  held  for 
the  purpose  of  considering  this  subject,  Joseph  said  that 
every  man  would  require  five  hundred  dollars,  a  good  horse 
and  mule,  with  the  necessary  arms  and  provisions.  On  the 
26th  of  the  following  March  he  addressed  a  memorial  to 
Congress,  asking  for  authority  to  raise  a  company  of  one 
hundred  thousand  men:  "to  open  the  vast  regions  of  the 
unpeopled  West  and  South  to  our  enlightened  and  enter- 
prising yeomanry." 

The  duty  of  carrying  this  memorial  to  Washington  and 
of  endeavoring  to  have  it  presented  to  Congress  was  given 
to  Orson  Hyde,  who  was  subsequently  joined  by  Orson 
Pratt.  These  two  brethren  drafted  a  statement  for  Con- 
gress, in  which  occurs  this  remarkable  passage :  "In  case  of 
removal  to  that  country,  Nauvoo  is  the  place  of  general 
rendezvous.  Our  course  from  thence  would  be  westward 
through  Iowa,  bearing  a  little  to  the  north  till  we  come  to 
the  Missouri  river,  leaving  the  state  of  Missouri  on  the  left, 
thence  up  the  North  Fork  of  the  Platte  into  the  mouth  of 
Sweetwater  river,  in  the  longtitude  of  107  degrees  west,  and 
thence  up  Sweetwater  river  to  the  south  pass  of  the  Rocky 
mountains ;  and  from  said  south  pass  in  latitude  42  degrees, 
28  minutes  north  to  the  Umpqua  and  Kalamet  valleys  in 
Oregon  bordering  on  California  is  about  600  miles,  making 


WESTWARD  HO!  409 

the  distance  from  Nauvoo  to  the  best  portion  of  Oregon, 
1,700  miles."  On  the  23rd  of  June,  1844,  four  days  before 
his  martyrdom,  the  Prophet,  in  company  with  Hyrum,  O.  P. 
Rockwell,  and  Dr.  Richards,  crossed  the  Mississippi  to 
Montrose,  with  the  intention  of  starting  for  "the  great  basin 
in  the  Rocky  mountains,"  as  soon  as  he  could  procure  the 
necessary  outfit ;  but  the  treachery  of  some  of  his  pretended 
friends  accomplished  the  defeat  of  this  object,  and  he  re- 
turned to  his  doom  at  Carthage. 

In  view  of  all  these  facts  there  cannot  be  any  doubt,  not 
only  that  Joseph  conceived  the  idea  of  moving  the  body  of 
the  Church  to  the  Rocky  mountains,  but  that  he  fully  ma- 
tured his  plans  for  the  removal,  and  would  actually  have 
conducted  the  exodus  in  person  had  not  his  martyrdom  pre- 
vented. 

From  Nauvoo  to  Council  Bluffs. 

Having  seen  where  the  idea  of  the  westward  migration  of 
the  Saints  originated,  we  have  now  to  give  the  details  of  that 
toilsome  journey,  from  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  to  those 
of  the  Missouri,  about  four  hundred  miles  distant. 

Upon  leaving  Nauvoo,  the  companies  first  encamped  on 
the  river  directly  opposite  the  city,  but  shortly  afterwards 
they  moved  northwest  nine  miles  to  Sugar  Creek,  where  they 
were  joined  on  the  15th  by  President  Young  and  other  mem- 
bers of  the  Twelve.  The  "Camps  of  Israel,"  as  the  main 
body  of  "Mormons"  was  called,  were  constantly  being  in- 
creased by  new-comers  till,  by  the  end  of  the  month,  there 
were  four  hundred  wagons  at  the  place  of  rendezvous. 
Clearing  away  the  snow,  which  had  lately  fallen,  these  men 
-and  women,  most  of  whom  were  accustomed  to  the  refine- 
ments of  an  educated  home,  pitched  their  tents  on  the  frozen 
ground,  prepared  to  make  the  best  of  their  melancholy  situa- 
tion, and  awaiting  the  signal  for  marching  forward. 


410  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

Here  it  was  that  something  occurred,  which,  when  it 
transpired  as  it  must  have  done  to  some  extent,  was  likely 
to  occasion  no  little  concern  respecting  the  outcome  of  the 
whole  westward  move. 

A  day  or  two  after  his  arrival  in  camp,  President  Young 
took  such  of  the  Twelve  as  were  accessible  into  a  secluded 
nook  not  far  from  the  place  of  general  encampment,  and 
gravely  laid  before  them  the  contents  of  a  letter  from  Elder 
Samuel  Brannan.  This  man  Brannan,  who  had  been  editor 
of  The  Prophet,  a  "Mormon"  periodical  published  in  New 
York,  and  who,  it  seems,  was  a  man  more  eager  for  the 
things  of  this  world  than  for  those  of  the  next,  had  been  in- 
structed to  convey,  by  water,  a  company  of  Saints  to  Cali- 
fornia. But,  before  leaving  he  had  apparently  communicated 
with  a  secret  company  of  political  sharpers  at  Washing- 
ton— including,  it  was  stated,  besides  a  certain  A.  G.  Ben- 
son and  ex-Postmaster  Amos  Kendall,  no  less  a  person  than 
the  President  of  the  United  States — concerning  the  move- 
ment of  the  " Mormon"  people  to  the  West.  One  of  these 
documents  referred  to  was  a  compact  awaiting  the  signa- 
tures of  the  "Mormon"  leaders,  in  which  they  were  required 
to  "transfer  to  A.  G.  Benson  and  Company,  and  to  their 
heirs  and  assigns,  the  odd  numbers  of  all  the  lands  and  town 
lots  they  might  acquire  in  the  country  where  they  settled," 
in  return  for  which  the  company  agreed  to  see  that  they 
were  unmolested  on  their  journey;  for  if  the  leaders  of  the 
migration  refused  to  sign  the  compact,  President  Polk,  it 
was  affirmed,  would  prevent  the  movement  on  the  grounds 
that  the  "Mormons"  were  about  to  join  the  British  or  Mexi- 
can side  in  the  controversy  then  being  waged  over  the  west- 
ern territory. 

That  the  President  of  the  United  States  was  a  "silent 
partner"  in  this  attempted  "land  grab,"  is  extremely  incred- 
ible.    The  probability  is,  that  they  were  making  use  of  the 


WESTWARD   HO!  411 

President's  name  merely  to  give  color  to  their  threat  about 
United  States  troops.  At  all  events,  such  is  the  substance 
of  what  was  laid  before  the  apostles.  The  details  of  this 
interesting  meeting  are  probably  lost  to  history;  but  not 
the  result.  "Our  trust  is  in  God,"  exclaimed  President 
Young;  "we  look  to  him  for  protection!"  And  the  council 
broke  up  without  even  deigning  to  answer  Elder  Brannan's 
letter. 

On  the  first  day  of  March,  the  word  of  command  was 
given  for  "the  whole  Camp  of  Israel"  to  begin  its  westward 
pilgrimage.  President  Young,  mounting  his  wagon,  spoke 
to  the  people  respecting  their  duties  under  the  new  situation. 
"We  will  have  no  laws  we  cannot  keep,"  he  said,  "but  we 
will  have  order  in  the  camp.  If  any  want  to  live  in  peace 
when  we  have  left  this  place,  they  must  toe  the  mark !"  So 
these  hosts  of  "Mormon"  exiles  began  anew  their  long  jour- 
ney over  the  prairies  of  Iowa.  Permission,  however,  had 
first  been  obtained  from  the  Governor  to  pass  through  his 
territory,  and,  if  need  were,  to  make  temporary  settlements 
there.  This  first  day  they  traveled  five  miles,  resting  again 
on  Sugar  Creek. 

The  organization  of  the  "Camp"  was  not  so  complete 
and  effective  at  first  as  it  became  afterwards.  A  partial  or- 
ganization was  effected  at  Sugar  Creek,  and  subsequently 
this  was  improved;  but  constant  additions  to  the  company, 
the  separation  which  occurred  soon  after  the  first  day,  and 
bad  roads  and  consequent  accidents,  prevented  the  complete 
organization  of  the  Saints.  At  first,  the  apostles  present  took 
charge  of  divisions,  with  captains  under  them.  But  when, 
on  the  27th  of  this  month  of  March,  Shoal  creek  was 
reached,  the  "Camp"  was  thoroughly  organized.  First  of  all, 
President  Young  was  elected  president  over  the  Whole 
Camp  of  Israel.  Then  the  company  was  divided  into  two 
parts,    with    Brigham   and    Heber    C.    Kimball    in    general 


412  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

charge.     Each  of  these,  again,  was  divided  into  hundreds, 
and  fifties,  and  tens,  with  captains.   Besides,  there  were  com- 
missaries, contracting  and  distributing,  with  a  commissary- 
general.    William  Clayton  was  appointed  general  clerk,  for 
there   was   a  clerk   for   each   fifty;   and   Willard   Richards 
"standing  historian  for  the  Church  and  the  camp."  Thus  the 
companies  could  not  only  be  better  controlled,  but  better  pro- 
vided for;  and  both  officers  and  people  had  learned  alike 
the  necessity  of  obedience  and  strict  attention  to  orders.  "At 
a   council   meeting   subsequent   to  this,"   writes    President 
George  Q.  Cannon,  "President  Young  told  those  present  that 
they  were  taking  a  course  that  would  result  in  salvation,  not 
only  to  that  camp,  but  to  the  Saints  who  were  still  behind." 
The  immediate  destination  seems  to  have  been  Council 
Bluffs,  on  the  Missouri  river,  about  four  hundred  miles  dis- 
tant.    This  point,  the  main  body  reached  in  the  middle  of 
June,  so  that  they  were  in  all  three  months  and  a  half  on  the 
way.     But  by  the  time  the  first  company  reached  the  Mis- 
souri almost  the  entire  distance  back  to  Nauvoo  was  covered 
by  a  train  of  wagons,  so  greatly  had  the  "Camp"  been  scat- 
tered and  so  large  was  the  stream  of  emigration  from  the 
city.    There  had  been  other  reasons,  however,  for  the  slow 
progress  made  by  even  the  first  group  of  Saints. 

One  of  these  was  that  many  of  the  people  had  not  suit- 
able outfits  and  the  necessary  provisions.  The  required  out- 
fit for  a  family  of  five  was  one  wagon,  three  yoke  of  cattle, 
or  three  teams,  two  cows,  two  beef  cattle,  three  sheep,  one 
thousand  pounds  of  flour,  twenty-four  pounds  of  sugar,  a 
tent  and  bedding,  seeds,  farming-tools,  and  a  rifle;  all  of 
which  were  estimated  as  being  worth  two  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars.  But  now  a  few  were  without  this  essential  prepara- 
tion for  the  trip.  Colonel  Kane  says  that,  in  addition  to  the 
wagons,  there  was  "a  large  number  of  nondescript  turnouts, 
the  motley  makeshifts  of  poverty ;  from  the  unstable  heavy 


WESTWARD  HO!  413 

cart  that  lumbered  on  mysteriously,  with  its  sick  driver  un- 
der its  counterpane  cover,  to  the  crazy  two-wheeled  trundle, 
such  as  our  own  poor  employ  in  the  conveyance  of  their  slop 
barrels,  this  pulled  along,  it  may  be,  by  a  little  dry-dugged 
heifer,  and  rigged  up  only  to  drag  some  such  light  weight  as 
a  baby,  a  sack  of  meal  or  a  pack  of  clothes  and  bedding." 
And  many  were  as  badly  off  for  provisions.  Before  the  ex- 
piration of  the  three  weeks  spent  at  Sugar  Creek,  "eight 
hundred  men  reported  themselves  in  camp  without  a  fort- 
night's provisions,  notwithstanding  the  strict  injunctions  of 
President  Young  not  to  undertake  the  journey  improperly 
provided  with  food  and  clothing. 

But  even  if  all  the  Saints  had  had  the  necessary  outfit, 
there  would  still  be  found  hindrances  to  the  progress  of  the 
companies  in  the  difficulty  which  they  had  in  providing  food 
for  their  horses  and  cattle.  Time  and  again,  during  the  earlier 
portions  of  their  march,  they  were  compelled  to  send  to 
the  settlements  for  grain.  Oftentimes,  however,  the  wagons 
returned  empty,  in  which  event  the  animals  would  have  to 
live  off  the  bark  and  branches  of  the  trees.  In  consequence, 
they  became  very  thin,  so  thin,  in  fact,  that  they  could 
scarcely  drag  along  the  vehicles  to  which  they  were  hitched. 
To  make  things  worse,  the  roads  were  bad  most  of  the  way. 
Often  they  were  quite  impassable  on  account  of  the  rain  and 
the  spring  freshets.  Wagons  were,  therefore,  always  break- 
ing down,  and  this  meant  a  delay  for  repairs.  Sometimes 
they  got  stuck  in  the  mud,  which  necessitated  a  doubling 
up  of  teams.  The  company  was  considered  as  having  made 
remarkable  progress  if  it  had  gone  fifteen  miles  in  a  day ;  for 
oftener  it  made  only  five  or  six,  and  sometimes  only  a  single 
mile.  And  so  it  was  from  day  to  day,  until  the  grass  ap- 
peared and  the  bad  weather  ceased. 

The  hardships  endured  by  those  who  participated  in  this 
singular  movement  of  a  people,  have  often  been  described — 


414  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

at  least,  in  part ;  for  the  full  story  no  mortal  tongue  will  ever 
tell. 

Personal  inconvenience,  certainly,  was  to  be  expected  in 
the  removal  of  a  small  number  of  men  and  women  and  chil- 
dren under  any  circumstances,  much  more  so  in  the  moving 
of  an  immense  multitude  under  the  conditions  surrounding 
the  Saints  at  this  time.  Most  of  them  had  been  used  to  com- 
fortable homes  and  pleasant  environments,  many  to  the  re- 
finements and  luxuries  of  life.  To  be  compelled,  therefore, 
to  ride  in  a  lumbering  wagon  or  cart  all  day,  or,  it  may  be, 
to  walk  by  its  side,  mile  after  mile,  in  order  to  lighten  the 
load  or  to  urge  the  jaded  team  along  over  muddy  or  frozen 
roads ;  to  sleep  in  tents  or  even  in  the  open  air  in  the  most 
disagreeable  season  of  the  year,  when,  perhaps,  the  clothes 
worn  during  the  day  in  a  heavy  and  continuous  rain  would 
be  frozen  stiff  next  morning;  and  to  do  this  day  after  day 
for  months,  and  then  with  no  prospect  that  there  would  be  a 
material  change  for  the  better — this  was  not  to  be  regarded 
as  the  most  pleasant  thing  for  the  contemplation  of  those  who 
were  taking  part  in  it.  The  romance  of  the  situation  would 
not  certainly  be  enhanced  by  these  work-a-day  details. 

Had  this  been  all,  however,  those  days  would  not  so  fre- 
quently be  referred  to  as  ones  which  tried  the  soul's  mettle. 
They  were  times  of  extreme  distress,  sorrow,  and  suffering, 
not  to  speak  of  hardship  and  privation.  These  began  as  soon 
as  the  people  had  left  their  homes  at  Nauvoo.  While  they 
were  encamped  on  Sugar  Creek  they  got  a  foretaste  of  what 
to  expect.  The  cold  was  intense,  the  thermometer  having 
dropped  to  twenty  degrees  below  zero.  And  under  these  cir- 
cumstances nine  wives  experienced  the  feelings  of  mingled 
agony  and  joy  of  child-birth.  We  have  no  record  of  any  one 
having  suffered  for  actual  want  of  food ;  but  long  before  the 
first  companies  reached  their  immediate  destination,  they 
were  compelled  to  partake  of  it  very  sparingly.     But  there 


WESTWARD   HO!  415 

was  in  store  for  some  families  something  far  worse  than  this 
hardship  in  which  all  shared  alike.  Joseph  the  Prophet, 
when,  in  vision,  he  saw  the  place  to  which  the  Saints  were 
to  be  driven  by  their  enemies,  had  exclaimed,  "Oh,  the  dead 
that  will  lie  between  here  and  there !"  And  so  it  was.  Many 
were  called  upon  to  lament  the  death  of  a  father  or  mother, 
a  husband  or  wife,  a  brother  or  sister.  Mrs.  Orson  Spencer, 
whose  husband  was  then  on  a  mission  to  England,  was  one 
of  the  earliest  victims;  and  her  motherless  children  were 
taken  care  of  by  those  who  could  little  afford  the  addition 
thus  made  to  their  household.  And  others  suffered  likewise, 
especially  in  the  later  companies.  We  shall  see  presently 
that  death  was  so  common  after  the  Saints  had  temporarily 
located  themselves  that  the  customary  burial  services  were 
dispensed  with. 

But,  as  already  remarked,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that 
hardship  and  suffering  were  the  only  lot  of  these  homeless 
wanderers. 

There  was  a  cheerfulness  on  every  face  that  the  people  in 
the  settlements  through  which  they  passed  in  the  earlier 
parts  of  their  journey,  were  unable  to  comprehend.  Of  an 
evening  when  the  weather  had  not  proved  unusually  disa- 
greeable during  the  day,  and  while  they  were  waiting  around 
their  camp  fires  for  the  trumpet  to  sound  the  note  for  pray- 
ers and  bed  time,  jokes,  conundrums,  and  stories  would 
bring  on  smiles  and  laughter.  Sometimes  the  cares  of  the 
day  would  be  laid  aside  in  the  Virginia  reel  or  the  customary 
"round  dance."  For  these  "Mormon"  pilgrims  had  not  for- 
gotten to  bring  with  them  their  musical  instruments,  not- 
withstanding their  more  pressing  need  of  life's  necessaries, 
the  more  material  things.  Pitt's  brass  band  frequently  dis- 
coursed sweet  or  martial  strains  along  the  way,  and  even  the 
small  towns  through  which  they  passed  were  eager  to  invite 
this  company  of  musicians  to  play  for  them.    Moreover,  the 


416  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

songs  of  Zion,  sometimes  composed  for  the  occasion,  dis- 
pelled the  gloom  that  would  otherwise  have  settled  down  on 
the  camp.  Two  of  these,  written  by  the  young  poet,  Eliza 
R.  Snow  Smith,  may  be  specially  referred  to  as  illustrating 
the  extreme  buoyancy  of  soul  possessed  by  these  outcast 
"Mormons." 

Although  in  woods  and  tents  we  dwell, 
Shout !  shout !  O  Camp  of  Israel : 
No  "Christian"  mobs  on  earth  can  bind 
Our  thoughts,  or  steal  our  peace  of  mind, 
she  sings  in  the  first  month  of  the  journey  when  the  diffi- 
culties were  greatest.    And  a  little  later  she  cries: 
Lo,  a  mighty  host  of  Jacob, 
Tented  on  the  western  shore 
Of  the  noble  Mississippi, 
They  had  crossed  to  cross  no  more. 
At  the  last  day-dawn  of  winter, 
Bound  with  frost  and  wrapped  in  snow; 
Hark!  the  cry  is  "Onward,  onward! 
Camp  of  Israel,  rise  and  go." 
Such  was  the  general  spirit  of  cheerfulness  that  prevailed 
in  the  camps  of  the  Saints  during  this  part  of  their  journey 
westward — a  condition  which  will  amply  justify  the  title 
of  the  present  chapter.     Amid  all  their  distress,  they  were 
buoyed  up  by  the  peace  which  passeth  understanding  and 
which  man  cannot  give  nor  take  away. 

From  March,  when  the  first  companies  left  Sugar  Creek, 
till  late  in  the  fall,  trains  of  "Mormon"  emigrants  might 
be  seen  on  the  road  to  the  Missouri.  During  the  earlier 
months,  of  course,  the  greatest  number  were  on  the  move. 
Then,  the  line  of  wagons  was  almost  continuous  between  the 
two  rivers.  Amos  Fielding,  who  returned  to  Nauvoo  in  the 
latter  part  of  June,  counted  nine  hundred  wagons  in  three 
days.     And  President  Young,  while  on  his  way  to  Mount 


WESTWARD   HO!  417 

Pisgah  in  the  following  month  counted  eight  hundred  be- 
tween that  point  and  Council  Bluffs.  But  there  were  com- 
panies on  the  road  to  the  West  till  very  late  in  the  Autumn. 

Of  one  of  these  we  may  speak  more  particularly — the 
unfortunate  "remnants"  left  at  Nauvoo  till  a  convenient  time 
could  be  found  at  which  to  take  them  west.  They  numbered 
between  six  and  seven  hundred  souls  in  all.  Of  their  cruel 
expulsion  from  their  beautiful  city  we  have  already  spoken. 
Their  condition  on  the  Iowa  bank  of  the  Mississippi  was 
truly  pitiable,  in  direct  consequence  of  the  inhumanity  they 
had  suffered  at  the  hands  of  so-called  Christian  men. 
Thomas  L.  Kane  had  just  crossed  the  river  after  having 
spent  a  few  hours  in  the  now  deserted  "Mormon"  town, 
when  suddenly  he  came  upon  "a  crowd  of  several  hundred 
human  creatures"  among  "the  docks  and  rushes,  sheltered 
only  by  the  darkness,  without  roof  between  them  and  the 
sky."  But  we  will  let  him  tell  the  whole  story,  for  he  was 
an  eye-witness  to  what  he  relates. 

"Passing  these  on  my  way  to  the  light,  I  found  it  came 
from  a  tallow  candle,  in  a  paper  funnel  shade,  such  as  is  used 
by  street  vendors  of  apples  and  peanuts,  and  which,  flaring 
and  guttering  away  in  the  bleak  air  off  the  water,  shone 
flickeringly  on  the  emaciated  features  of  a  man  in  the  last 
stage  of  a  bilious,  remittent  fever.  They  had  done  their  best 
for  him.  Over  his  head  was  something  like  a  tent,  made  of 
a  sheet  or  two,  and  he  rested  on  a  but  partially  ripped  open 
old  straw  mattress,  with  a  hair  sofa  cushion  under  his  head 
for  a  pillow.  His  gaping  jaw  and  glazing  eye  told  how  short 
a  time  he  would  monopolize  these  luxuries ;  though  a  seem- 
ingly bewildered  and  excited  person,  who  might  have  been 
his  wife,  seemed  to  find  hope  in  occasionally  forcing  him  to 
swallow  awkwardly-measured  sips  of  the  tepid  river  water, 
from  a  burned  and  battered  bitter-smelling  tin  coffee-pot. 
Those  who  knew  better  had   furnished  the  apothecary  he 


418  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

needed.  A  toothless  old  bald-head,  whose  manner  had  the 
repulsive  dullness  of  a  man  familiar  with  death  scenes — he, 
so  long  as  I  remained,  mumbled  in  the  patient's  ear  a  monot- 
onous and  melancholy  prayer,  between  the  pauses  of  which 
I  heard  the  hiccup  and  sobbing  of  two  little  girls,  who  were 
sitting  upon  a  piece  of  driftwood  outside. 

"Dreadful,  indeed,  was  the  suffering  of  these  forsaken 
beings;  bowed  and  cramped  by  cold  and  sunburn,  alternat- 
ing as  each  weary  day  and  night  dragged  on,  they  were,  al- 
most all  of  them,  the  crippled  victims  of  disease.  They 
were  there  because  they  had  no  homes,  nor  hospitals,  nor 
poorhouse,  nor  friends  to  offer  them  any.  They  could  not 
satisfy  the  feeble  cravings  of  their  sick  ;  they  had  not  bread 
to  quiet  the  fractious  hunger-cries  of  their  children. 
Mothers  and  babes,  daughters  and  grandparents,  all  of  them 
alike,  were  bivouacked  in  tatters,  wanting  even  covering 
to  comfort  those  whom  the  sick  shiver  of  fever  was  search- 
ing to  the  marrow. 

"These  were  Mormons,  famishing  in  Lee  county,  Iowa, 
in  the  fourth  week  of  the  month  of  September,  in  the  year  of 
our  Lord  1846  .  .  .  And  those  who  had  stopped  their 
plows,  who  had  silenced  their  hammers,  their  axes,  their 
shuttles  and  their  work-shop  wheels ;  those  who  had  put  out 
their  fires,  who  had  eaten  their  food,  spoiled  their  orchards, 
and  trampled  under  foot  their  thousands  of  acres  of  un- 
harvested  bread ;  these  were  the  keepers  of  their  dwellings, 
the  carousers  of  their  Temple,  whose  drunken  riot  insulted 
the  ears  of  their  dying." 

Elder  Bullock,  who  was  a  member  of  this  "Poor  Camp," 
thus  describes  a  night  spent  under  these  circumstances :  "On 
Monday,  September  23,  while  in  my  wagon  on  the  slough 
opposite  Nauvoo,  a  most  tremendous  thunderstorm  passed 
over,  which  drenched  everything  we  had.  Not  a  dry  thing 
left  us — the  bed  a  pool  of  water,  my  wife  and  mother-in-law 


WESTWARD  Hp!  419 

lading  it  out  by  basinfuls,  and  I  in  a  burning  fever  and  in- 
sensible, with  all  my  hair  shorn  off  to  cure  me  of  my  disease. 
A  poor  woman  stood  among  the  bushes,  wrapping  her  cloak 
around  her  three  little  orphan  children,  to  shield  them  from 
the  storm  as  well  as  she  could."  Here  it  was,  and  under 
there  heart-rending  conditions,  that  a^countless  host  of  quails 
dropped  into  camp,  and  were  so  tame  that  they  could  easily 
be  caught  by  the  hands  of  these  famishing  people — a  cir- 
cumstance which  the  Saints  have  attributed  to  God's  over- 
ruling Providence. 

Wagons  were  sent  back  by  the  other  companies  for  these 
suffering  and  helpless  "remnants."  But  their  journey  to 
Council  Bluffs  was  a  long  and  toilsome  one;  they  endured 
more  hardship  than  attended  any  company  which  had  pre- 
ceded them,  on  account  of  the  bad  physical  condition  in 
which  they  started  out.  It  was,  besides,  very  late  in  the 
fall  when  they  reached  the  shelter  of  the  main  camps,  and 
the  cold  weather  and  autumn  rains  had  set  in. 


CHAPTER  II 

WAYSIDE  STATIONS 

The  spectacle  of  this  immense  body  of  "Mormons" — a  verit- 
able wandering  nation — pausing  on  its  long  pilgrimage  to 
build  temporary  cities  on  the  wild  prairie  land  of  western 
Iowa  among  savages  and  wolves,  is  so  altogether  unique 
and  striking  as  to  tempt  one,  out  of  sheer  curiosity,  to  pass 
in  review  the  life  and  conduct  of  civilized  men  and  women 
under  such  a  situation. 

Garden  Grove. 

When,  on  the  24th  of  April,  the  advance  company  reached  a 
point  just  beyond  the  Chariton,  they  determined  to  make  a 
settlement,  naming  the  place  Garden  Grove.  During  the 
seventeen  days  that  they  remained  there— for  they  pushed  on 
again  another  situation  further  west  on  the  11th  of  May — 
a  large  flourishing  town  sprang  up  like  magic  from  the 
naked  prairie.  On  the  second  day  of  their  sojourn,  three 
hundred  and  fifty-nine  men,  in  response  to  a  request  by 
President  Young,  reported  for  labor.  Accordingly,  one  hun- 
dred of  them  were  directed  to  cut  down  and  trim  trees  for 
logs  and  rails,  ten  to  build  fences,  forty-eight  to  build 
houses,  twelve  to  dig  wells,  ten  to  build  bridges,  and  the  rest 
to  clear  the  land,  plow  the  ground,  and  plant  seed.  In  a  few 
days,  therefore,  several  hundred  acres  of  land  had  been  in- 
closed, crops  put  in,  and  houses  erected.  Then  the  main 
company  pressed  on  their  way,  leaving  only  a  few  persons 
to  guard  their  new  possessions. 


WAYSIDE   STATIONS  421 

Before  his  departure  from  Garden  Grove,  however,  Presi- 
dent Young  appointed  Elders  Samuel  Bent,  Aaron  Johnson, 
and  David  Fullmer  to  preside,  with  instructions  to  divide 
the  land  among  the  needy  Saints  now  on  their  way  from 
Nauvoo,  but  not  to  permit  any  one  to  have  more  than  he 
could  till;  to  preach  tithing  so  that  the  sick  and  otherwise 
helpless  might  be  properly  cared  for;  and,  finally,  to  see 
that  there  was  no  unnecessary  waste  in  harvesting  and 
housing  the  crops. 

Mount  Pisgah. 

While  the  vanguard  of  Zion's  Camp  were  thus  employed, 
Apostle  Parley  P.  Pratt  and  a  few  others  were  instructed  to 
go  farther  west  along  the  intended  route,  for  the  purpose  of 
choosing  another  situation  for  a  settlement.  "Riding  out 
about  three  or  four  miles  through  beautiful  prairies,"  says 
Parley's  Autobiography,  after  they  had  gone  thirty-odd 
miles  from  Garden  Grove,  "I  came  suddenly  to  some  round 
and  sloping  hills,  grassy  and  crowned  with  beautiful  groves 
of  timber;  while  alternate  open  groves  and  forests  seemed 
blended  in  all  the  beauty  and  harmony  of  an  English  park. 
While  beneath  and  beyond,  on  the  West,  rolled  a  main 
branch  of  the  Grand  river,  with  its  rich  bottoms  of  alternate 
forest  and  prairie.  As  I  approached  this  lovely  scenery, 
deer  and  wolves,  startled  at  sight  of  men,  abandoned  the 
place  and  bounded  away  from  sight  amid  the  groves.  Being 
pleased  and  excited  over  the  varied  beauty  before  me,  I 
cried  out,  This  is  Mount  Pisgah.'  " 

Here,  also,  when  President  Young  and  his  company  ar- 
rived, the  men  were  set  to  work  as  they  had  been  at  the 
preceding  place.  More  than  a  thousand  acres  of  land  were 
fenced  and  put  under  cultivation,  and  a  large  collection  of 
log  cabins  erected.  William  Huntington,  Ezra  T.  Benson, 
and  Charles  C.  Rich  were  put  in  charge,  with  instructions 


422  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

similar  to  those  given  the  presiding  authorities  at  Garden 
Grove.  And  on  June  2d  the  advance  company  moved  for- 
ward toward  the  Missouri,  distant  about  ninety-five  miles. 

Presently  came  along  the  other  companies  of  Israel.  The 
poorer  made  their  homes  at  these  two  way  stations,  while 
the  rest  went  forward  to  join  the  first  company.  And  there 
soon  grew  up  in  this  place,  too,  a  perfect  ant-hill  activity. 
More  houses  were  erected  as  there  was  need,  schools  were 
established  where  the  children  might  be  instructed.  But 
there  was  much  poverty.  Only  those  things  that  were  easily 
movable  had  been  brought  from  Nauvoo,  and  many  of  these 
had  been  bartered  on  the  way  for  food.  Then,  also,  the 
Saints  were  well-nigh  broken  down  physically  with  their 
toilsome  march.  The  atmosphere,  too,  especially  in  the 
lower  parts  of  this  place,  was  miasmatic.  All  these  things 
together  induced  the  ravages  of  disease,  which  cut  down 
many  a  life.  The  president  of  the  branch,  Lorenzo  Snow, 
was  one  of  the  first  victims.  He  was  stricken  violently  sick, 
but  recovered  through  being  baptized  in  a  river.  Indeed 
sickness  was  general ;  every  family  had  some  one  down  with 
the  fever;  and  people  were  dying  on  every  hand.  So  fre- 
quent were  the  deaths  that  the  dead  were  buried  with  little 
or  no  ceremony.  One  woman— a  Mrs.  Gay— left  a  widow 
with  three  small  children,  had  the  wagon  box  cut  up  and 
made  into  a  coffin,  and  in  this  rude  box  was  her  husband 
buried  while  she  languished  upon  the  sick  bed  unable  to  at- 
tend the  burial.  And  so  it  went;  many  were  not  so  well 
provided  with  means  of  performing  the  last  sad  rites.  Sor- 
row and  general  lamentation  were  added  to  destitution  and 
sickness. 

With  what  melancholy  pathos  do  we  read  of  the  devices 
resorted  to  in  those  days  to  induce  forgetfulness  of  the  gen- 
eral sorrow.  The  people  were  in  a  truly  sad  plight,  being 
destitute,  not  only  of  teams  and  wagons  to  convey  them  to 


WAYSIDE  STATIONS  423 

the  next  camping  place,  but  also  of  food  and  clothing. 
President  Snow  records  the  loss  of  his  cow  as  an  inconsol- 
able grief.  But  the  Saints  at  Mount  Pisgah  were  fortunate 
in  having  a  man  at  their  head  of  great  natural  resource  and 
determination.  Choosing  a  couple  of  discreet,  intelligent 
men — Elders  Dana  and  Campbell — he  sent  them  to  Ohio  and 
other  parts  of  the  country  "to  invite  rich  Gentiles  to  con- 
tribute to  the  wants  of  the  Saints  and  assist  them  on  their 
journey  westward."  This  plan,  though  it  was  generally  re- 
garded as  wild  and  visionary,  succeeded  admirably ;  for  the 
brethren  returned  with  about  six  hundred  dollars.  Parties 
were  held  at  various  places,  as  well  as  the  regular  meetings 
of  the  Saints. 

One  of  these  parties,  held  at  President  Snow's  home,  may 
be  described.  The  house  was  a  log  structure  fifteen  by  thirty 
feet,  with  dirt  floor  and  roof,  and  a  chimney,  "of  modest 
height,"  in  one  end  "made  of  turf  cut  from  the  bosom  of 
mother  earth,"  for  rock  was  not  easily  obtainable  at  Mount 
Pisgah.  The  floor,  on  this  occasion,  was  carpeted  with  a 
thin  layer  of  straw,  the  walls  draped  with  white  sheets 
"drawn  from  featherless  beds."*  The  "hall"  was  lighted  by 
gay  chandeliers  made  of  hollowed  turnips  with  candles  in, 
and  nailed  here  and  there  upon  the  walls.  The  evening's 
entertainment,  interrupted  long  enough  for  the  guests  to 
partake  of  a  dish  of  succotash,  consisted  of  songs,  recita- 
tions, toasts,  conundrums,  and  exhortations ;  after  which  the 
crowd  went  home  feeling  happy  and  full  of  praise  for  the 
ingenuity  of  the  host  and  hostess. 

Winter  Quarters. 

The  main  camp  of  this  exiled  nation,  however,  was  at  Win- 
ter Quarters,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Missouri.     When  the 


♦Most  of  the  feather  beds  in  the  camp,  as  well  as  other  articles 
of  luxury,  had  been  traded  on  the  way  for  food  and  clothing. 


424  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS  OF    MORMONISM 

first  company  reached  the  river  they  encamped  close  to  the 
water,  but  moved  back,  in  a  day  or  two,  occupying  some 
bluffs,  at  which  the  Indians  were  wont  to  hold  their  councils. 
They  could  thus  better  guard  themselves  and  their  cattle 
from  the  red  men.  But  when  it  was  known  that  the  march 
westward  would  have  to  be  postponed  till  the  next  summer,, 
ferries  were  built  and  the  camp  moved  across  the  river  to  a 
beautiful  situation  on  the  bottoms.  It  was  pretty  well  along 
in  the  summer  when  this  occurred. 

The  houses,  of  course,  were  mostly  of  logs,  like  those  at 
the  other  two  settlements.  We  say  mostly  because  some  of 
them  were  "dug-outs,"  that  is,  holes  dug  in  the  hillside  and 
roofed  over.  But  these  were  afterwards  abandoned  upon 
the  advice  of  President  Young  on  account  of  the  occupants 
being  more  liable  to  exposure  to  disease,  there  than  in 
places  wholly  above  ground.  A  fortification  was  built  round 
the  town ;  a  grist  mill  was  erected ;  a  log  tabernacle  put  up ; 
and  schools  established.  Much  of  this  work  was  done, 
singularly  enough,  to  furnish  employment  to  the  brethren; 
for  at  longest  the  place  would  be  occupied  only  a  few  years. 

That  winter — 1845-6 — was  a  hard  one  for  the  Saints,  not 
only  at  Garden  Grove  and  Mount  Pisgah,  but  also  at  Winter 
Quarters.  A  meagre  diet  induced  scurvy  or  black-leg ;  "the 
limbs  would  swell,  become  black,  and  the  flesh  be  very 
sore."  This  was  cured  chiefly  by  potatoes  which  had  been 
brought  from  Missouri,  and  by  horse-radish  which  some 
one  had  found  growing  in  an  abandoned  fort  a  little  way 
from  the  town.  But  sickness  was  common.  Food  was  com- 
paratively dear.  The  great  demand  for  articles  of  consump- 
tion by  this  great  body  of  people  had  brought  up  prices  in 
the  Gentile  settlements.  Wheat,  for  instance,  rose  from 
about  twenty  cents  a  bushel  to  nearly  fifty  cents,  corn  from 
twelve  to  twenty-five  cents,  and  other  things  in  proportion. 
At  first  there  was  not  a  grist  mill,  and  so  all  sorts  of  devices 


WAYSIDE  STATIONS  425 

were  resorted  to  in  order  to  grind  the  wheat.  A  coffee  mill 
belonging  to  Alpheus  Cutler  did  service  for  a  number  of 
families,  as  many,  in  fact,  as  could  use  it.  In  like  manner, 
other  articles  of  general  usefulness  were  constantly  employed 
by  those  who  needed  them,  without  thought  of  rental  by  the 
owner. 

The  Saints  had  to  take  great  precautions  in  order  to  avoid 
a  collision  with  the  Indians.  The  President's  policy  was 
always  to  give  these  wild  people  fair  treatment.  He  depre- 
cated the  practice  so  common  among  those  who  had  dealings 
with  the  Indians,  of  shooting  them  down  on  the  slightest 
provocation.  In  fact,  nothing  more  was  thought  by  most 
white  men,  of  killing  an  Indian  than  of  butchering  some 
animal  for  food.  But  the  "Mormon"  leader  advised  his  peo- 
ple not  to  deal  harshly  with  the  red  men.  "It  is  cheaper,'* 
he  said,  "to  feed  than  to  fight  them."  Accordingly,  before 
the  "Mormons"  occupied  Winter  Quarters,  the  Indian  agent 
had  been  consulted,  and  permission  obtained  to  make  tem- 
porary homes  there.  In  addition  to  this,  President  Young 
kept  on  good  terms  with  Big  Elk,  the  chief  of  the  Omaha 
tribes.  Nevertheless,  the  Indians  gave  some  trouble.  See- 
ing that  no  benefit  came  to  them  from  the  "Mormon"  occu- 
pation of  their  lands,  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  their  wood 
was  being  burned  and  their  game  frightened  away  or  killed, 
they  undertook  to  help  themselves  to  the  stock  belonging  to 
the  Saints.  In  this  way  a  good  many  horses  were  lost.  Big 
Elk,  however,  promised  to  restrain  his  tribe  in  this  direction. 
Less  fear,  though,  was  experienced  after  the  erection  of  the 
stockade  around  the  town.  These  and  other  Indian  depre- 
dations were  partly  the  evil  fruits  of  the  conduct  of  those 
whites  who  had  incited  the  red  men  to  violence  against  the 
"Mormons"  by  pouring  into  their  ears  wicked  tales  about 
the  alleged  enmity  of  the  latter  for  the  Indians.  So,  at 
least,  the  Indians  informed  President  Young. 


426  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

Kanesville. 

When,  however,  it  was  discovered  that  a  settlement  on  the 
Missouri  would  have  to  be  retained  for  several  years,  it  was 
decided  to  move  from  Winter  Quarters,  which  was  on  the 
Indian  reservation,  to  the  east  side  of  the  river.  This  was 
done  in  the  fall  of  1847,  after  a  company  had  pushed  its  way 
westward  to  the  great  Salt  Basin,  and  the  place  was  called 
Kanesville,  in  honor  of  Col.  Thomas  L.  Kane. 

In  January  of  the  following  year,  a  petition,  numerously 
signed,  was  sent  to  the  Iowa  legislature,  asking  for  an  organ- 
ization of  a  county.  A  postoffice  was  established,  with  Evan 
M.  Greene  as  postmaster;  and  subsequently  a  county  was 
formed,  called  Pottawattamie.  Isaac  Clark  was  judge  of 
probate ;  George  Coulson,  Andrew  H.  Perkins,  and  David  D. 
Yearsley,  county  commissioners ;  Thomas  Burdick,  county 
clerk ;  John  D.  Parker,  sheriff ;  James  Sloan,  district  clerk ; 
Evan  M.  Greene,  recorder  and  treasurer ;  and  Jacob  G.  Big- 
ler,  William  Snow,  Levi  Bracken,  and  Jonathan  C.  Wright, 
magistrates.  This  place  now  became  a  point  of  importance, 
and  Winter  Quarters  was  abandoned  in  the  following  spring. 

It  is  at  this  time  that  we  come  again  upon  the  political 
machinations  of  non-"Mormons."  In  Iowa,  as  in  Illinois, 
the  people  were  politically  about  equally  divided  into  two 
parties.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  it  was  found  that  the  "Mor- 
mons" wanted  a  county  organization,  both  parties  pricked  up 
their  ears  in  great  attention  to  the  slightest  wishes  of  the  new 
comers.  The  Whigs  were  especially  active  in  an  endeavor 
to.  win  over  such  a  large  body  of  voters.  They  delegated 
Messrs.  Roberts  and  Lyon  to  lay  before  the  ''Mormons"  the 
principles  of  Whigism.  The  former  attended  a  caucus  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Kanesville  and  dilated  eloquently  upon  the 
sufferings  which  the  Saints  had  endured  at  the  hands  of  "the 
greedy  cormorants  of  Locofocoism."  The  Saints  replied  in 
a  letter  to  the  State  Executive  Committee,  hinting  at  their 


WAYSIDE  STATIONS  427 

reluctance  to  touch  politics  again,  and  detailing  their  tribula- 
tions on  account  partly  of  political  jealousy.  If,  said  they,  in 
a  preamble  to  some  resolutions  on  the  subject,  "the  Whigs  of 
Iowa  will  lift  up  their  hands  toward  heaven  and  swear  by 
the  Eternal  God  that  they  will  use  all  their  powers  to  re- 
press mobocracy,  insurrection,  rebellion,  and  violence,  in 
whatever  form  or  from  whatever  source  such  might  arise 
against  the  Latter-day  Saints  and  the  citizens  of  Iowa,  even 
to  the  sacrifice  of  all  their  property,  and  their  lives  if  need 
be,  and  that  also  a  full  share  of  representative  and  judicial 
authority  shall  be  extended  to  the  Saints,  then  we  will 
pledge  ourselves  to  unite  our  votes  with  those  of  the  Iowa 
Whigs  at  the  election." 

But  we  must  say  a  word  of  the  better  side  of  this  strange 
life  which  these  strange  people  led  in  the  wilderness.  "What 
old  persons  call  discomforts  and  discouraging  mishaps,"  says 
Colonel  Thomas  L.  Kane,  speaking  of  the  double  interpreta- 
tion, which  all  adventurers  bear,  "are  the  very  elements  to 
the  young  and  sanguine  of  what  they  are  willing  to  term 
fun.  The  Mormons  took  the  young  and  hopeful  side.  They 
could  make  sport  and  frolic  of  their  trials,  and  often  turn 
right  sharp  suffering  into  right  round  laughter  against  them- 
selves. I  certainly  heard  more  jests  and  'Joe  Millers'  while 
in  this  Papillon  camp  than  I  am  likely  to  hear  in  all  the  re- 
mainder of  my  days."  Elsewhere  he  disclaims  for  the  "Mor- 
mons" any  extemporizing  of  new  versions  of  Robinson  Cru- 
soe, and  adds  that  "it  was  a  comfort  to  notice  the  readiness 
with  which  they  turned  their  hands  to  wood-craft ;  some  of 
them,  though  I  believe  these  had  generally  been  bred  car- 
penters, wheelwrights,  or  more  particularly  boat-builders, 
quite  outdoing  the  most  notable  voyage urs  in  the  use  of  the 
ax.  One  of  these  would  fell  a  tree,  strip  off  its  bark,  cut 
and  split  up  the  trunk  in  piles  of  plank,  scantling,  or  shin- 
gles ;  make  posts,  pins,  poles — everything  wanted  almost  of 


428  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMON  ISM 

the  branches ;  and  treat  his  toil,  from  first  to  last,  with  more 
sportive  flourish  than  a  school-boy  whittling  his  shingle." 

In  all  this,  Pitt's  brass  band  furnished  some  of  the  finest 
music.  "It  might  be,"  continues  Mr.  Kane,  "when  you  were 
hunting  a  ford  over  the  great  Platte,  the  dreariest  of  all  wild 
rivers,  perplexed  among  the  far-reaching  sand  bars,  and 
curlew  shallows  of  its  shifting  bed — the  wind  rising  would 
bring  you  the  first  faint  thought  of  a  melody;  and  as  you 
listened,  borne  down  upon  the  gust  that  swept  past  you  a 
cloud  of  the  dry  sifted  sands,  you  recognized  it — perhaps  a 
home-loved  theme  of  Henry  Proch  or  Mendelssohn.  Men- 
delssohn Bartholdy,  away  there  in  the  Indian  marches !" 

By  the  year  1852,  all  these  places — Garden  Grove,  Mount 
Pisgah,  and  Kanesville — had  been  almost  entirely  aban- 
doned by  the  "Mormon"  people. 

Things  Spiritual. 

An  important  change  occurred  at  this  time  in  the  quorum  of 
apostles.  It  was  the  organization,  from  their  ranks,  of  the 
First  Presidency  of  the  Church.  Since  the  death  of  the 
Prophet  Joseph  the  Twelve  had  acted  as  the  presiding 
quorum ;  but  now  it  was  deemed  best  to  organize  the  Presi- 
dency again.  Accordingly,  on  the  5th  of  December,  1847, 
at  the  home  of  Orson  Hyde,  a  council  of  the  Apostles  was 
held.  There  were  present,  Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kim- 
ball, Orson  Pratt,  Orson  Hyde,  Wilford  Woodruff,  Willard 
Richards,  George  A.  Smith,  Amasa  Lyman,  and  Ezra  T. 
Benson.  The  last  named  had  been  chosen  in  July  of  this 
year  to  occupy  the  place  made  vacant  by  John  E.  Page,  who 
had  been  disfellowshiped  by  the  quorum  in  January,  1846. 
Brigham  Young  was  unanimously  sustained  President,  and 
Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Willard  Richards,  his  own  selection, 
as  counselors. 

On  the  27th  of  December  a  conference  was  held  at  Kanes- 


WAYSIDE  STATIONS  429 

ville,  continuing  till  the  29th.  The  new  Presidency  was 
unanimously  sustained ;  a  high  council  for  the  east  side 
was  chosen  and  voted  in ;  and  other  Church  business  trans- 
acted. 

Nor  was  the  missionary  work  permitted  to  suffer  neglect. 
In  July,  1846,  Apostles  Orson  Hyde,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  and 
John  Taylor  were  sent  to  England  to  regulate  that  mission, 
returning  home  in  April  of  the  following  year.  Other  elders 
at  various  times  during  these  few  years  were  sent  to  that 
country  and  the  various  states  of  the  Union.  It  is  curious 
to  note  that  during  the  year  that  the  pioneer  company  was 
pushing  its  way  over  the  prairies  and  mountains  of  the  West, 
Dan  Jones  brought  into  the  Church  in  Wales  more  than 
six  hundred  souls.  The  gathering  was  discontinued  till  after 
the  location  of  a  permanent  home. 


CHAPTER  III 

A   RAM    IN   THE  THICKET 

The  strange  episode  of  the  "Mormon"  Battalion  is  worthy 
of  a  place  in  a  popular  history  of  the  Church  partly  because 
it  shows  what  sacrifices  these  men  were  willing  to  undergo 
for  their  people,  partly  because  it  exhibits  the  loyalty  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints  to  the  American  government  at  the  most 
inopportune  moment  of  their  lives. 

A  Call  to  Arms. 

In  1846  a  war  broke  out  with  Mexico.  A  narrow  strip  of 
land  bordering  on  that  country  was  claimed  by  Texas,  which 
the  southern  nation  was  unwilling  to  relinquish.  President 
Polk  had  offered  to  buy  it,  but  the  spirited  Mexicans  turned 
the  proposal  away  in  the  utmost  scorn.  Thereupon,  the 
President  ordered  General  Taylor,  with  four  thousand  men, 
to  take  possession  of  the  disputed  territory.  Two  battles 
with  a  Mexican  army  were  fought  at  Palo  Alto  and  at  Res- 
aca  de  la  Palma,  in  which  the  latter  were  repulsed  with 
heavy  loss.  Taylor  then  invaded  Mexico,  holding  the  north- 
ern part  of  that  country ;  Kearny  assumed  control  of  New 
Mexico ;  and  Fremont,  with  a  small  force,  occupied  Cali- 
fornia. The  war  lasted  a  year  and  a  half,  at  the  end  of 
which  the  United  States  fell  into  possession  of,  an  enormous 
territory  in  western  America,  equal  in  area  to  Germany, 
France,  and  Spain  added  together.  What  is  now  Utah,  Ida- 
ho, and  part  of  Colorado  was  included  in  this  ceded  district. 
To  aid  General  Kearny  in  taking  the  West,  additional 
forces  were  necessary.    Now,  the  authorities  at  Washington, 


A  RAM  IN  THE  THICKET  431 

knowing  from  various  sources  that  the  "Mormons"  were  on 
their  way  to  California  or  Oregon,  determined  to  make  use 
of  them  to  win  the  country.  Accordingly,  President  Polk 
instructed  Kearny  to  call  five  hundred  of  these  people  to  his 
aid.  At  first  the  number  proposed  was  one  thousand,  but 
later  it  was  changed  to  five  hundred.  The  General  did  so, 
and  Captain  Allen  was  delegated  to  go  to  Mount  Pisgah  for 
the  purpose  of  receiving  the  volunteers. 

Such  is  one  view  of  the  origin  of  the  battalion.  Unfor- 
tunately, however,  there  is  another.  Senator  Thomas  HL 
Benton,  of  Missouri,  according  to  this  second  explanation, 
induced  President  Polk  to  issue  this  call,  with  the  under- 
standing that,  if  the  "Mormons"  did  not  respond — and  the 
Senator  professed  to  know  that  they  would  not — he  might 
turn  loose  his  Missouri  war-dogs  upon  them,  killing  men, 
women,  and  children.  For  the  truth  of  this,  however,  we  do 
not  vouch ;  but  nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  Brigham 
Young  and  the  leading  brethren  firmly  believed  the  existence 
of  such  a  plot,  and  they  assure  us  that  they  had  the  most  un- 
questionable evidence  to  ground  their  belief  upon.  And  it 
must  be  confessed  that  even  this  butchery  of  a  whole  people 
indiscriminately  was  not  likely  to  be  beyond  the  desire-range 
of  a  mob  that  could  perpetrate  those  horrible  outrages  we 
have  already  detailed,  not  excluding  the  apparently  purpose- 
less hounding  of  their  victims  into  their  Illinois  home.  The 
reader  must  not  forget,  however,  that  news  of  this  diabolical 
scheme  did  not  come  to  the  ears  of  President  Young  and  his 
people  till  after  the  battalion  had  gone. 

When  Captain  Allen  reached  the  "Mormon"  camps  at 
Pisgah  and  the  Bluffs,  and  the  brethren  were  called  together, 
he  counted  off  enthusiastically  the  numerous  advantages  that 
would  come  to  them  through  this  Federal  generosity.  For 
one  thing,  they  might  go  to  their  destined  home  under  the 
protection  and  at  the  expense  of  the  national  government 


432  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

(alas,  for  the  sad  humor,  many,  too  many  of  them  did  go 
home!)  ;  for  another  thing,  they  would  receive  seven  dollars 
a  month  from  the  day  they  enlisted;  and  for  still  another, 
they  might  retain  their  arms  when  they  were  mustered  out 
of  service  in  that  far-away  land.  The  Captain,  no  doubt, 
was  perfectly  sincere.  But  the  "Mormons" — those  men  and 
women  who  had  several  times  been  driven  from  their  homes, 
if  not  at  the  request  of  the  state,  yet  with  the  sanction  of  the 
state  authorities,  and  were  even  now  suffering  unspeakable 
destitution  and  hardship  as  a  direct  consequence  of  these 
numerous  drivings — these  "Mormons,"  we  urge,  must  be 
pardoned,  if  under  these  circumstances,  they  entertained 
suspicions  concerning  this  governmental  affection.  But 
Brigham  Young,  with  fine  patriotism,  begged  them  to  make 
a  distinction  between  the  conduct  of  the  states  separately 
and  the  conduct  of  the  states  collectively.  The  nation,  he 
said,  was  not  responsible  for  their  present  outcast  condi- 
tion. So  patriotism  won  the  day,  and  Captain  Allen  got  his 
five  hundred  men. 

That  the  minds  of  these  patriots  might  be  distracted  from 
the  griefs  of  parting,  an  elaborate  "send-off"  was  prepared, 
and  everyone  put  on  his  cheeriest  countenance.  "The  after- 
noon before  their  departure,"  says  Colonel  Kane,  who  was 
there,  "was  appropriated  to  a  farewell  ball ;  and  a  more 
merry  dancing  rout  I  have  never  seen,  though  the  company 
went  without  refreshments,  and  the  ball-room  was  of  the 
most  primitive.  To  the  canto  of  debonair  violins,  the  cheer 
of  horns,  the  jingle  of  sleigh  bells,  and  the  jovial  snoring  of 
the  tamborine,  they  did  dance!  None  of  your  minuets  or 
other  mortuary  processions  of  gentles  in  etiquette,  tight 
shoes,  and  pinching  gloves,  but  the  spirited  and  scientific 
displays  of  our  venerated  and  merry  grandparents,  who 
were  not  above  following  the  fiddle  to  the  Fox-chase  Inn, 
or  Gardens  of  Gray's  Ferry.     French  fours,  Copenhagen 


A  RAM  IN  THE  THICKET  433 

jigs,  Virginia  reels,  and  the  like  forgotten  figures,  and  light 
feet,  had  it  their  own  way  from  an  early  hour  till  after  the 
sun  had  dipped  behind  the  sharp  sky-line  of  the  Omaha  hills. 
Silence  was  then  called,  and  a  well-cultivated  mezzo-soprano 
voice,  belonging  to  a  young  lady  with  a  fair  face  and  dark 
eyes,  gave  with  quartette  accompaniment  a  little  song,  the 
notes  of  which  I  have  been  unsuccessful  in  repeated  efforts 
to  obtain  since — a  version  of  the  text,  touching  to  all  earthly 
wanderers : 

"  'By  the  river  of  Babylon  we  sat  down  and  wept.' ' 

Already,  at  a  private  council  of  the  commissioned  and 
the  non-commissioned  officers,  their  Prophet  had  given  them 
some  parting  advice,  and  bestowed  his  farewell  blessing. 
They  must  be  true  to  their  country,  he  said,  and  true  to  God. 
Not  on  a  single  occasion,  he  added  prophetically,  should  they 
be  required  to  shed  human  blood.  They  were  to  remember 
their  prayers ;  to  refrain  from  profanity,  obscene  language, 
and  the  improper  use  of  Deity's  name ;  to  be  strictly  virtuous 
and  cleanly;  to  treat  all  men  with  kindness,  and  never  take 
that  which  did  not  belong  to  them,  even  from  their  worst 
enemies  in  time  of  war,  if  they  could  possibly  avoid  it. 

Then  they  took  up  their  line  of  march  towards  Fort  Leav- 
enworth, where  they  were  to  be  supplied,  tramping  to  the 
lively  strains  of  Pitt's  band,  which  accompanied  them  part 
way,  while  above  them  waved  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  They 
passed  St.  Joseph  marching  to  the  tune  of  'The  Girl  I  Left 
Behind  Me." 

Still  in  that  five  hundred  there  must  have  been  many  a 
sad  heart.  There  were  men  whose  wives  and  little  children, 
except  for  the  tender  services  of  some  good  Samaritan, 
would  not  know  where  to  turn  for  the  next  morsel  of  food ; 
there  were  sons  who  were  the  only  stay  of  aged  and  widowed 
mothers ;  and  many  of  these  loved  ones  had  struggled  hero- 
ically under  the  ravages  of  disease  not  to  show  unwonted 


434  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMON  ISM 

grief  at  the  farewell.  "This  blow,"  writes  one  wife  and 
mother,  speaking  of  this  melancholy  parting  from  a  husband 
that  never  returned,  "entirely  prostrated  me.  But  I  had 
just  embarked  upon  my  sea  of  troubles.  Winter  found  me 
bed-ridden,  destitute,  in  a  wretched  hovel  which  was  built 
upon  a  hill-side ;  the  season  was  one  of  constant  rain ;  the 
situation  of  the  hovel  and  its  openness,  gave  free  access  to 
piercing  winds,  and  water  flowed  over  the  dirt  floor,  con- 
verting it  into  mud  two  or  three  inches  deep;  no  wood  but 
what  my  little  ones  picked  up  around  the  fences,  so  green 
that  it  filled  the  room  with  smoke;  the  rain  dropping  and 
wetting  the  bed  which  I  was  powerless  to  leave ;  no  relative 
to  cheer  or  comfort  me,  a  stranger  away  from  all  who 
ever  loved  me ;  my  neighbors  could  do  but  little,  their  own 
troubles  and  destitution  engrossing  their  time." 

Surely,  this  was  a  supreme  test  of  loyalty,  alike  for  those 
who  went  and  those  who  stayed  at  home! 

Across  the  Continent. 

Arrived  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  the  soldiers  obtained  their 
muskets  and  provisions,  and  drew  their  pay.  The  fact  that 
every  man  in  the  battalion  could  write  his  own  name,  was  a 
source  of  great  surprise  to  the  officers  in  charge ;  for  only  a 
few  days  before  this,  the  Missouri  volunteers  had  been  there, 
and  two  men  out  of  every  three  had  to  sign  their  names 
with  a  cross.  Greater  astonishment  still  was  manifested 
when  each  one  of  the  men,  after  making  a  generous  contri- 
bution to  aid  Elders  Hyde,  Pratt,  and  Taylor  on  their  mis- 
sions, turned  over  all  the  rest  except  a  few  dollars  to  the 
brethren  for  his  family  and  to  help  such  of  the  migrating 
Saints  as  might  need  assistance.  August  12th  they  left  the 
fort  on  their  long  journey  to  the  coast,  by  way  of  Santa  Fe. 
Their  march  to  this  place  was  interrupted  by  a  great 
deal  of  sickness  and  many  deaths.     Among  the  first  to  fall 


A  RAM   IN  THE  THICKET  435 

was  Captain  Allen,  whom  every  man  in  the  battalion  had 
learned  to  love.  Upon  his  death  the  command  was  usurped 
by  a  Lieutenant  Smith,  a  fierce,  unreasonable  man,  a  non- 
" Mormon,"  who  had  joined  them  upon  hearing  of  Allen's 
demise,  much  to  the  dissatisfaction  of  the  battalion,  who 
should  have  had  Captain  Hunt  of  their  own  number  as  their 
leader.  To  the  forced  marches  together  with  the  harsh  con- 
duct of  Lieutenant  Smith,  and  to  the  calomel  and  arsenic  of 
an  unfriendly,  not  to  say  hateful,  doctor  named  Sanderson, 
the  survivors  of  that  tedious  march  attribute  most  of  their 
sufferings  and  the  deaths  of  their  companions  between  Fort 
Leavenworth  and  Santa  Fe.  Meanwhile,  Captain  Higgins 
had  been  despatched  to  Pueblo  with  the  women  of  the  bat- 
talion, who  would,  it  was  feared,  prove  a  hindrance  to  the 
progress  of  the  soldiers. 

At  Santa  Fe  Colonel  Cooke  assumed  command,  much  to 
the  relief  of  the  troops,  notwithstanding  his  reputation  for 
rigorous  discipline.  Before  starting  on  their  journey  again, 
all  the  sick — eighty-six  in  number — were  sent  to  Winter 
Quarters  at  Pueblo  under  Captain  Brown.  Subsequently, 
fifty-five  more,  who  had  "come  down"  after  leaving  Santa 
Fe,  were  sent  to  Pueblo  in  charge  of  Captain  Willis.  This 
latter  company  had  only  six  days'  provisions,  and  no  physi- 
cian, to  take  them  three  hundred  miles.  Reduced  thus  to 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty,  the  battalion  proceeded  on  its 
way  to  California.  And  what  a  journey  that  was!  To- 
wards the  end  of  the  march  their  shoes  gave  out,  and  they 
resorted  to  the  most  extraordinary  makeshifts  for  foot-wear. 
One  of  these  was  to  strip  a  piece  of  skin  from  the  leg  of  an 
ox  without  cutting  it  lengthwise,  which,  slipped  over  the 
foot,  served  as  a  good  moccasin.  Their  mules  and  oxen  kept 
dropping  down  every  now  and  then  on  that  trying  journey, 
and  towards  the  last  the  men  were  hitched  to  the  wagons. 
Now  thev  fairlv  broiled  under  the  tropic  sun  of  the  sandy 


436  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

desert ;  now  they  were  almost  frozen  under  the  frigid  night- 
sky  of  the  mountains.  Their  food,  too,  ran  short.  Most  of 
the  time  they  were  on  half  rations.  Toward  the  end  they 
were  driven  to  the  last  extremities,  scraping  off  the  wool 
from  their  saddle  skirts,  and  boiling  and  eating  the  leather. 
They  went  without  water  for  whole  days  at  a  time.  A  song, 
composed  by  Levi  W.  Hancock,  the  camp  musician  and  poet, 
preserves  for  us  some  of  the  grim  pictures  of  that  melan- 
choly march: 

"And  when  an  ox  is  like  to  die, 

The  whole  camp  halts,  and  we  lay  by ; 

The  greedy  wolves  and  buzzards  stay, 

Expecting  rations  for  the  day. 

"Our  hardships  reach  their  rough  extremes, 
When  valiant  men  are  roped  with  teams, 
Hour  after  hour,  and  day  after  day, 
To  wear  our  strength  and  lives  away." 

But  after  each  stanza  came  the  hopeful  refrain — 

"How  hard  to  starve  and  wear  us  out, 
Upon  this  sandy,  desert  route!" 

At  last  the  weary  and  half-clad  battalion  reached  the 
coast.  They  were  congratulated  by  their  leader,  who  de- 
clared that,  though  he  had  seen  some  dark  days  in  his  time, 
he  had  never  even  heard  of  anything  like  this  journey. 
"History,"  he  said,  "may  be  searched  in  vain  for  an  equal 
march  of  infantry.  Half  of  it  has  been  through  a  wilderness 
where  nothing  but  savages  or  wild  beasts  are  found,  or  des- 
erts, where,  for  want  of  water,  there  is  no  living  creature. 
There,  with  almost  hopeless  labor  we  have  dug  wells,  which 
the  future  traveler  will  enjoy.  Without  a  guide  who  had 
traveled  them,  we  have  ventured  into  trackless  table-lands 


A  RAM  IN  THE  THICKET  437 

where  water  was  not  found  for  several  marches.  With 
crowbar  and  pick  and  ax  in  hand,  we  have  worked  our  way 
over  mountains,  which  seemed  to  defy  aught  save  the  wild 
goat,  and  hewed  a  passage  through  a  chasm  of  living  rock 
more  narrow  than  our  wagons."  And  General  Kearny, 
when  he  heard  the  details  of  the  march,  said  with  great  ear- 
nestness :  "Bonaparte  crossed  the  Alps,  but  these  men  have 
crossed  a  continent !" 

Opening  the  Gold-hills. 

To  describe  their  sojourn  in  the  land  of  flowers  is  not  neces- 
sary here.  The  months  from  the  last  of  January,  1847,  when 
they  arrived  at  San  Diego,  to  the  17th  of  July,  when  they 
were  mustered  out  of  service,  they  spent  mostly  in  the  pur- 
suits of  peace,  digging  wells,  building  houses,  and  teaching 
these  arts  to  the  Spaniards.  But  they  did  not  fight.  The 
nearest  they  came  to  taking  on  a  warlike  attitude  was  when 
John  C.  Fremont's  men  refused  to  deliver  up  public  property 
and  it  appeared  as  if  a  civil  war  was  imminent. 

When  their  term  of  service  expired,  an  effort  was  made 
to  have  them  re-enlist.  Eighty-one  of  them  did  so ;  but  the 
rest  began  their  homeward  journey,  taking  a  route  that 
would  bring  them  through  the  valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake. 
On  their  way,  however,  they  were  met  by  a  party  from  the 
Pioneers  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  with  letters  from  their 
families,  and  the  Church  authorities.  President  Young  ad- 
vised as  many  as  could  do  so  to  remain  in  California  during 
the  coming  winter,  in  response  to  which  about  forty  of  the 
company  turned  back.  The  rest  pursued  their  perilous  jour- 
ney to  what  is  now  Utah,  finding  there  not  only  the  pioneer 
company  but  also  their  comrades  of  the  battalion  who  had 
spent  the  preceding  winter  at  Pueblo. 

It  was  some  of  those  battalion  boys  that  returned  to 
California  who  were  the  discoverers  of  gold  in  that  State.  It 


438  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

happened  in  this  manner:  Alexander  Stephens,  James  S. 
Brown,  James  Barger,  William  Johnson,  Azariah  Smith, 
Henry  W.  Bigler,  with  some  others  not  of  the  battalion, 
sought  and  obtained  employment  of  a  Mr.  Sutter  and  a  Mr. 
Marshall,  digging  a  millrace.  When  it  was  finished  water 
was  turned  into  it,  but  afterwards  taken  out  because  of  some 
washouts  near  the  flume.  Mr.  Marshall  went  below  to  as- 
certain the  effect  of  the  wash,  when  his  eye  caught  some  yel- 
low glittering  metal.  This  was  the  first  intimation  of  gold  in 
the  Gold  State.  "The  'Mormon'  discharged  soldiers,"  says 
the  Battalion  chronicler,  "shook  the  bush,  and  friend  Mar- 
shall, unexpectedly,  caught  the  bird."  But  Californians  have 
never  been  overly-anxious  to  acknowledge  even  this  connec- 
tion between  their  own  Land  of  Flowers  and  the  despised 
Bee  Hive  State. 

In  February,  1885,  the  "Mormon"  Battalion  held  its  first 
reunion  in  the  social  hall  at  Salt  Lake  City.  During  the 
progress  of  the  entertainment  they  were  addressed  by  Presi- 
dents Young,  Kimball,  and  Grant,  who  spoke  very  highly  of 
the  sacrifices  made  by  these  men  for  the  salvation  of  the 
Saints.  A  huge  banner  had  been  made  for  the  occasion,  on 
which  were  inscribed  the  words :  "Mormon  Battalion — the 
Ram  in  the  Thicket." 


CHAPTER  IV 


TO  THE  INLAND  SEA 


Having  followed  the  fortunes  of  this  moving  nation  from 
Nauvoo  to  Council  Bluffs  and  observed  their  life  in  their 
temporary  home  in  the  wilderness,  we  have  now  to  trace 
their  history  over  the  wild  and  desolate  region  lying  between 
these  places  and  their  destination  and  also  their  strange  ways 
in  their  desert  abode.    And  first  of  their  journey  there. 

The  Pioneer  Company. 

No  sooner  had  President  Young  arrived  at  Council  Bluffs 
than  he  began  to  cast  about  him  for  means  to  accomplish  the 
removal  to  the  mountains.  Realizing  the  gigantic  labor  and 
danger  involved  in  transporting  such  an  immense  body  of 
men,  women,  and  children  over  an  untraversed  country  of  a 
thousand  miles,  he  and  his  brethren  decided  to  make  tempo- 
rary homes  for  the  people  at  the  places  we  have  named  and 
to  despatch  a  select  company  to  pioneer  the  way  to  their 
western  home.  For  this  purpose  one  hundred  able-bodied 
men,  well-provisioned  and  unencumbered  by  families,  were 
to  be  chosen.  They  were  to  have  twenty-five  wagons  and 
fifty  yokes  of  oxen — every  four  men  a  wagon  and  a  double 
team — each  man  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  flour  with 
other  necessary  articles ;  the  company  to  be  amply  provided 
with  farming  implements  and  seeds.  It  was  the  intention  to 
have  them  go  in  the  summer  of  '46,  make  a  selection  of  a 
suitable  location  for  the  winter ;  some  were  to  remain  there 
so  as  to  be  on  hand  the  following  spring  to  put  in  crops, 
while  others  were  to  return  to  guide  the  remaining  com- 
panies thither.     But  this  excellent  plan  was  not  executed 


440  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

then  on  account  of  the  call  for  the  battalion.  The  Presi- 
dent, however,  never  lost  track  of  the  idea. 

In  the  spring  of  '47,  a  company  was  formed  to  accom- 
plish what  the  other  was  to  be  chosen  for,  except  that  the 
lateness  of  the  season  would  prevent  the  putting  in  of  crops 
that  would  be  likely  to  mature.  One  hundred  and  forty-four 
men  were  selected — twelve  times  twelve — though  afterwards 
three  women  and  two  children  were  included  in  the  number 
— the  wives  of  President  Young,  his  brother  Lorenzo  D.,  and 
Heber  C.  Kimball.  They  were  well  provided  with  wagons, 
food  for  the  journey,  and  farming  tools — but,  it  seems,  not 
so  well  as  the  other  would  have  been.  This  company,  which 
included  seven  of  the  apostles,  left  Elkhorn — twenty-seven 
miles  beyond  Winter  Quarters — on  the  15th  of  April. 

Did  Brigham  Young,  know  where  he  was  taking  this 
pioneer  company?  We  have  no  absolutely  positive  answer 
to  this  question,  but  several  things  point  to  the  fact  that  he 
did.  One  of  these  is  the  appearance  of  progress  to  a  definite 
end  in  the  company's  march.  No  one  who  reads  the  details 
of  this  journey  can  fail  to  be  impressed  with  this  fact.  An- 
other is,  that  the  Prophet  Joseph,  before  his  death,  indicated 
that  the  objective  point  of  the  journey  he  was  about  to  un- 
dertake was  the  Great  Basin  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  And 
a  third  lies  in  the  very  definite  inquiries  President  Young 
made  of  the  trappers  whom  the  company  met  on  their  way, 
as  well  as  the  remark  he  made  when  he  first  looked  upon  the 
valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  follow  in  much  detail  this 
memorable  journey.  Leaving  the  Elkhorn  on  April  15th, 
they  followed,  for  hundreds  of  miles,  the  meanderings  of  the 
North  Platte,  through  Nebraska  and  Wyoming,  keeping  on 
the  north  side  of  this  stream  in  order  to  avoid,  as  much  as 
possible,  any  contact  with  parties  of  their  old-time  enemies, 
the  Missourians,  who  might  be  on  their  way  to  Oregon; 


TO  THE  INLAND  SEA  441 

thence  touching  Fort  Laramie,  an  old  trading  post,  Red 
Buttes,  Independence  Rock,  Devil's  Gate,  Little  and  Big 
Sandy,  and  Fort  Bridger,  into  Echo  canyon  and  through 
Emigration  into  the  valley  of  the  Salt  Lake.  Their  trail,  for 
many  a  mile,  is  now  marked  by  the  line  of  the  Union  Pacific 
railroad.  At  different  times  they  met  Charles  Beaumont, 
Moses  Harris,  and  James  Bridger,  trappers  and  traders,  of 
whom  they  obtained  much  valuable  information  regarding 
the  country  ahead.  Harris  and  Bridger  drew  extremely  dark 
pictures  of  the  Salt  Lake  valley,  the  latter  being  willing,  he 
said,  to  give  one  thousand  dollars  for  the  first  bushel  of  corn 
raised  there ;  though  they  spoke  very  highly  of  a  valley 
northward  called  Cache.  When  the  pioneers  reached  the 
region  of  the  Black  Hills,  their  supply  of  provisions  threat- 
ened to  give  out ;  but  some  Missourian  emigrants  renewed  it 
in  return  for  being  ferried  over  the  Platte  at  this  point.  The 
personnel  of  the  company,  too,  underwent  some  change. 
They  had  barely  started  when  one  man  took  sick,  and  re- 
turned. Once,  seventeen  Mississippi  Saints  joined  them ; 
later  four  men  out  of  the  original  number  were  sent  back 
to  guide  a  body  of  Saints  from  that  State  to  the  trail  of  the 
pioneers ;  on  another  occasion,  nine  men  were  left  to  ferry 
the  next  company  across  the  river;  and  subsequently  thir- 
teen of  the  battalion  boys,  from  Pueblo,  caught  up  with 
them.  Their  number,  after  these  deductions  and  additions, 
was  one  hundred  and  sixty-five. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  journey,  the  company  became 
divided.  The  vanguard  was  headed  by  Orson  Pratt,  making 
the  first  impressions  of  a  wagon  road  on  the  hitherto  un- 
marked country.  The  last  company  included  President 
Young,  who  was  suffering  from  mountain  fever.  The  pio- 
neers, therefore,  entered  the  valley  at  different  times,  Orson 
Pratt's  party  being  the  first,  making  their  descent  on  the 
22nd  of  July,  the  President's  on  the  24th.    On  the  day  before 


442  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

this_the  23d— President  Young,  reclining  in  Elder  Wood- 
ruff's carriage,  requested  the  vehicle  to  be  turned  that  he 
might  have,  from  an  eminence,  a  view  of  the  valley.  This 
was  done.  Long  an  earnestly  these  two  pioneers  gazed  upon 
the  wild,  barren  scene  spread  out  before  them,  and  the  Presi- 
dent said  finally — 

"Enough.     This  is  the  place.     Drive  on!" 

He  had  seen  this  place  in  vision,  and  "many  things  of  the 
future  concerning  the  valley."  It  was  here  he  had  seen  "the 
tent  settling  down  from  heaven  and  resting."  "Here  is  the 
place,"  said  a  voice  at  the  time,  "where  my  people  Israel 
shall  pitch  their  tents." 

Other  Companies. 

From  this  time  on  till  the  railroad  was  established,  trains  of 
emigrant  wagons  might  be  seen  every  summer  crossing  the 
plains  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord's  house. 

The  first  to  enter  the  valley,  after  the  pioneer  company, 
was  the  detachment  of  the  "Mormon"  battalion,  which  had 
been  sent,  sick,  to  winter  quarters  at  Pueblo.  Having  re- 
mained there  over  winter,  they  now  started  west  towards 
California,  where  they  expected  to  be  mustered  out  of  serv- 
ice, taking  the  old  Oregon  trail,  under  the  leadership  of 
Captain  Brown.  Subsequently,  however,  they  changed  their 
mind  about  going  to  California,  and  entered  the  Valley  a 
few  days  after  the  pioneers,  thus  increasing  the  population 
there  to  about  four  hundred  souls. 

A  second  emigrating  company  left  the  Elkhorn  on  the 
19th  of  June,  reaching  Salt  Lake  Valley  in  the  fall.  It  num- 
bered about  two  thousand  persons,  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren, in  five  hundred  and  sixty  wagons.  They  brought  with 
them  fully  five  thousand  head  of  cattle.  In  this  company 
were  Apostles  Parley  P.  Pratt  and  John  Taylor,  Eliza  R. 
Snow,  Father  John  Smith,  Lorin  Farr,  George  Q.  Cannon, 


TO  THE  INLAND  SEA  443 

the  Thatchers,  the  Bennions,  and  the  Nebekers,  Jedediah  M. 
Grant,  and  A.  O.  Smoot. 

Meantime,  about  half  the  pioneer  company  were  return- 
ing to  the  Missouri  river  to  prepare  for  further  immigra- 
tion to  the  Valley  in  the  spring. 

In  1848,  several  large  companies  left  Winter  Quarters  for 
the  new  home.  One  under  President  Young  numbered  more 
than  twelve  hundred,  another  under  Heber  C.  Kimball  num- 
bered nearly  seven  hundred,  and  still  another  under  Willard 
Richards  numbered  more  than  five  hundred — twenty- four 
hundred  and  seventeen  souls  in  all,  with  seven  hundred  and 
ninety-two  wagons  and  immense  herds  of  cattle  and  horses. 
Along  with  this  company  went  Daniel  H.  Wells,  who  had 
joined  the  Church  since  the  Prophet's  death  and  cast  his  lot 
with  the  unfortunates  ;  Lorenzo  Snow,  Franklin  D.  Richards, 
John  Smith,  Joseph  F.  Smith,  then  a  boy  of  nine  years,  with 
his  widowed  mother,  Newel  K.  Whitney,  and  Horace  S. 
Eldredge.  The  population  of  the  Valley  was  now  swelled 
to  between  four  and  five  thousand. 

Other  large  companies  came  each  year  following.  Im- 
migration to  Utah  was  facilitated  by  the  organization,  in 
1849,  of  what  was  known  as  the  Perpetual  Emigration  Fund, 
consisting  originally  of  five  thousand  dollars,  which  was  lent 
to  the  needy  Saints  both  on  the  frontier  and  in  England.  In 
that  country  alone  there  were  at  least  thirty  thousand  who 
desired  to  come  to  America,  but  many  of  whom  were  finan- 
cially unable  to  do  so.  Means  borrowed  from  this  fund  put 
them  in  a  position  to  emigrate,  and  thus  the  deserts  of  the 
West  were  peopled  with  what  Dickens  called  the  flower  of 
his  own  country. 

Of  one  company  of  emigrants  it  is  necessary  to  speak  in 
some  detail — the  handcart  company  of  '56.  With  a  view  to 
reducing  the  expense  of  crossing  the  plains,  President  Young 
conceived  the  idea  of  making  the  journey  with  handcarts. 


444  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

The  project  was  very  popular  in  England,  and  many  gave  up 
their  employment  before  definite  arrangements  had  been 
made  for  their  passage  over  the  sea.  And  so  the  president  of 
the  European  mission  preferred  to  let  them  make  the  trip 
rather  than  allow  them  to  take  the  chances  of  their  obtaining 
positions  in  England.  Most  of  them  probably  would  have 
found  their  way  to  the  inevitable  and  much-dreaded  work- 
house. Two  companies  of  five  hundred  persons  each  left 
the  frontiers  early  in  June,  arriving  safely,  for  the  most  part, 
at  their  destination,  though  many  were  aged  and  sickly  and 
had  walked  the  entire  distance  dragging  or  pushing  loaded 
handcarts.  On  the  2nd  of  October  a  third  company  reached 
Salt  Lake  in  tolerable  condition,  having  left  Iowa  City  in  the 
latter  part  01  June. 

Two  other  companies  followed,  and  it  was  these  that  have 
caused  the  name  handcart  company  to  be  sent  down  the 
years  a  synonym  of  agony  and  anguish.  One  had  left  the 
City  of  Iowa  on  the  15th  of  July,  the  other  had  crossed  the 
Missouri  on  the  22d  of  the  month  following.  Under  ordi- 
nary conditions,  however,  they  would  have  reached  the  Val- 
ley before  snowfall.  But  the  winter  of  '56  set  in  unusually 
early.  The  first  party  reached  the  city  on  the  9th  of  Novem- 
ber, the  second  on  the  1st  of  December.  But  the  snow  and 
cold  had  long  since  impeded  their  progress,  resulting  in  great 
suffering  and  many  deaths.  Women  and  children,  as  well  as 
men,  were  compelled  to  wade  the  streams  in  the  bitter  cold ; 
and  to  lie  out  nights  without  sufficient  covering.  Their  food 
gave  out,  too.  Many  died  on  the  way.  As  soon  as  it  was  dis- 
covered in  Salt  Lake  City  that  an  early  winter  would  set  in, 
wagon-loads  of  provisions,  clothing,  and  bedding  were  sent 
out  by  the  Presidency  of  the  Church  to  meet  them,  and  every- 
thing within  human  possibility  was  done  to  relieve  their  in- 
tense suffering.  Nothing  expresses  more  strongly,  though 
pathetically,  how  great  was  this  suffering  than  the  manner 


TO  THE  INLAND  SEA 


445 


in  which  the  relieving  party  were  received.  On  first  per- 
ceiving, about  sundown,  that  some  wagons  were  approach- 
ing from  the  direction  of  the  Valley,  all  who  could,  turned 
out  to  the  welcome.  Women  fell  upon  the  newly  arrived 
brethren,  showering  kisses  upon  them;  children  danced  in 
gladness,  not  knowing  why  ;  strong  men  wept  uncontrollably, 
and  were  dumb  from  sheer  over- joy.  It  was  the  same  in 
the  second  camp.  Presently  all  were  fed  and  tucked  warmly 
away  in  wagons,  and  in  this  manner  they  arrived  at  their 
destination. 

Some  Characteristics  of  this  Migration. 
It  remains  for  us  in  this  section  to  describe  those  interesting 
journeys,  taking  no  particular  one  but  several  combined, 
though  nearly  every  incident  and  phase  was  many  times  du- 
plicated. 

Strangers,  upon  first  coming  in  contact  with  "Mormon- 
ism"  invariably  remark  upon  their  inevitable  trait  of  organ- 
izing individual  activities  into  concerted  units.  Nothing 
reveals  this  characteristic  better  than  these  migrations  of  the 
"Mormons"  westward.  The  companies  were  never  large 
enough  to  be  unwieldy.  Each  was  divided  into  hundreds, 
fifties,  and  tens,  with  an  officer  over  each  division.  A  bugle 
note  gave  the  signal  for  rising  and  retiring,  for  prayer,  for 
meals,  and  for  beginning  and  ending  each  day's  march.  The 
nights  were  usually  divided  into  two  watches.  Traveling,  in 
times  of  peace,  two  wagons  abreast,  in  times  of  danger,  four 
abreast,  and  then  every  man  with  his  gun  ready  for  action, 
the  "Mormons"  could  never  be  much  surprised  by  Indian 
attacks. 

They  made  their  own  roads  as  they  went.  As  we  have 
seen  they  purposely  avoided  the  regular  well-beaten  road  of 
western  emigrants.  All  fordable  streams  they  crossed  with- 
out much  trouble.    Every  now  and  then,  however,  they  had 


446  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMON  ISM 

to  stop  long  enough  to  make  a  bridge,  and  where  the  stream 
— such,  for  instance,  as  the  Platte  river — was  too  wide  to 
be  bridged,  they  used  their  leather  boat  or  made  a  ferry. 
Log  canoes  were  soon  made  and  covered  with  split  poles,  to 
Convey  the  wagons  from  one  bank  to  another.     The  cattle 
and  horses  were  forced  to  swim  these  larger  streams.     Of 
this  last  interesting  phase  of  this  strange  life,  Colonel  Kane 
has  given  us  a  graphic  picture.    A  herd  of  thirty  thousand 
cattle  is  to  be  got  across  the  Missouri  at  a  point  where  it  is 
nearly  a  mile  and  a  half  wide,  owing  to  a  heavy  freshet. 
'They  were  gathered  in  little  troops  on  the  shore,  and  driven 
forward  till  they  lost  their  footing.     As  they  turned  their 
heads  to  return,  they  encountered  the  combined  opposition 
of  a  clamorous  crowd  of  bystanders,  vieing  with  each  other 
in  the  pungent  administration  of  inhospitable  affront.    Then 
rose  their  hub-bub ;  their  geeing,  and  whoaing,  and  hawing ; 
their  yelling,  and  yelping,  and  screaming;  their  hooting,  and 
hissing,  and  pelting.    The  rearmost  steers  would  hesitate  to 
brave  such  a  rebuff;  halting,  they  would  impede  the  return 
of  the  outermost;  they  all  would  waver;  wavering  for  a 
moment,  the  current  would  sweep  them  together  downward. 
At  this  juncture  a  fearless  youngster,  climbing  upon  some 
brave  bull  in  the  front  rank,  would  urge  him  boldly  forth 
into  the  stream ;  the  rest  then  surely  followed ;  a  few  mo- 
ments saw  them  struggling  in  mid  current ;  a  few  more,  and 
they  were  safely  landed  on  the  opposite  shore.    The  driver's 
was  the  sought-after  post  of  honor  here ;  and  sometimes, 
when  repeated  failures  have  urged  them  to  emulation,  I  have 
seen  the  youths,  in  stepping  from  back  to  back  of  the  strug- 
gling monsters,  or  swimming  in  among  their  battling  hoofs, 
display   feats  of  address   and   hardihood   that   would   have 
made  Franconi's  of  the  Madrid  bull-ring  vibrate  with  bravos 
of  applause." 

The  "Mormons"  seem  not  to  have  been   in  very  great 


TO  THE   INLAND   SEA  447 

danger  from  the  Lamanites.  These  wild  roamers  of  the  for- 
est appear  early  to  have  drawn  a  distinction  between  the 
"Mormon"  and  the  ordinary  Gentile  white.  As  already 
stated,  it  was  a  common  opinion  in  those  days  that  there 
could  be  no  more  wrong  in  killing  Indians  than  there  was  in 
slaying  a  lower  animal.  But  this  idea  was  not  shared  by  the 
Saints.  On  the  contrary,  they  looked  upon  the  life  of  a  red 
man  as  sacred  as  the  white  man's.  And  the  savage,  in  re- 
turn, viewed  the  "Mormon"  as  his  fellow-sufferer  at  the 
hands  of  the  Eastern  Gentiles,  both  having  been  forcibly  ex- 
pelled to  the  West.  Nevertheless,  the  companies  of  Saints 
suffered  from  the  depredations  of  the  Indians.  Sometimes, 
large  bands  of  these  wild  people  would  come  to  their  camps 
begging  powder  and  trinkets  in  compensation  for  the  priv- 
ilege of  passing  through  their  lands.  Sometimes,  however, 
they  would  resort  to  all  kinds  of  devices,  such,  for  instance, 
as  shaking  a  buffalo  robe  or  blanket  within  sight  of  the 
"Mormon"  cattle,  in  order  to  create  a  stampede.  In  this  and 
other  ways  the  Saints  lost  many  animals. 

An  entirely  unique  feature  of  these  now  interesting  jour- 
neys was  the  frequent  sight  of  great  herds  of  buffalo.  The 
presence  of  these  animals  was  usually  indicated  by  immense 
clouds  of  dust  in  the  rear.  Then  the  emigrants  prepared 
themselves  and  their  stock  against  being  moved  out  of  their 
places.  Next  a  strange  roaring  noise  would  be  noticed, 
which  gradually  increased  as  the  herd  approached,  till  it 
would  be  both  deafening  and  frightful.  Presently,  tens  of 
thousands  of  these  wild  animals  would  gallop  awkwardly  by, 
their  heads  down  and  tails  in  the  air.  Sometimes,  when  meat 
was  needed,  but  never  unless  it  was  needed,  the  brethren 
would  shoot  at  them  as  they  passed.  Whenever  the  bullet 
struck  a  vital  spot,  all  was  well ;  but  when  it  struck  some 
other  part  of  the  huge  body,  the  enraged  bison  would  very 
likely  stop  in  its  clumsy  career  and  make  an  angry  dash  at 


448  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

the  first  strange  object  in  sight.  Sometimes,  too,  these  buf- 
falo herds  had  a  disastrous  effect  on  the  domestic  animals — 
oxen,  cows,  and  horses ;  and  there  would  be  a  general  stam- 
pede. But  on  the  whole  this  was  an  enjoyable  spectacle,  a 
herd  of  buffalo  on  the  run. 

Altogether  the  most  singular  thing,  however,  connected 
with  these  numerous  pioneer  migrations  is  the  manner  of  life 
led  by  the  people  themselves,  their  bustling  energy,  and  their 
endless  contrivances  to  utilize  every  opportunity  or  event. 
The  "Mormons"  never  forgot  their  simple  devotions,  or  laid 
by  their  religion  till  the  next  convenient  time  to  take  it  up. 
Prayers  were  offered  every  morning  and  evening — gratitude 
for  past  favors,  petitions  for  continued  blessings.  Cursing 
and  swearing  was  rarely  if  ever  heard  in  their  camps,  nor  the 
taking  of  God's  name  in  vain,  nor  an  obscene  jest  or  story. 
Colonel  Kane  names  it  as  a  remarakble  thing  (and  it  was) 
that  in  the  hours  and  hours  that  he  watched  the  sport  at  the 
ferry  side  of  the  cattle  crossing  the  Missouri,  he  had  "never 
heard  an  oath  or  the  language  of  a  quarrel,  or  knew  it  to 
provoke  the  least  sign  of  ill-feeling."  The  presiding  officers 
were  uniformly  kind,  the  people  as  a  rule  obedient,  uncom- 
plaining, self-sacrificing.  Most  of  those  who  were  at  all  able 
to  do  so  walked  every  step  of  the  one  thousand  miles,  some- 
times, towards  the  end,  without  shoes  and  stockings  and  little 
enough  other  clothing.  As  soon  as  a  suitable  camping  place 
had  been  found,  which  was  usually  on  the  bank  of  some 
stream,  the  wagons  would  be  drawn  up  in  a  circle,  the 
tongues  being  on  the  outer  side  and  the  front  wheels  of  one 
locked  to  the  hind  wheels  of  another.  Two  openings  at  op- 
posite points,  which  were  carefully  guarded  at  night,  fur- 
nished ample  egress  and  entrance.  Sometimes,  however,  the 
bank  of  the  creek  or  river,'  if  serviceable,  was  made  use  of  as 
one  side  of  a  half-circle.  In  this  whole  or  semi-circle  the 
work-cattle  were  guarded,  the  camps  being  on  the  outside. 


TO  THE  INLAND  SEA  449 

The  cobbler,  the  wheelwright,  the  harnessmaker  would  take 
advantage  of  the  rest  in  order  to  repair  some  article.  In  the 
evening  by  the  camp-lire,  men,  women,  and  children  would 
sit  in  groups  and  tell  stories,  crack  jokes,  and  sing  the  songs 
of  Zion.  There  was  no  traveiing  on  Sunday,  for  the  Saints 
were  genuine  Israelites  in  their  observance  of  the  Sabbath. 
Services  were  held,  and  some  of  the  leading  elders  gave 
such  council  as  was  suggested  by  their  present  situation. 
Moreover,  one  day  in  the  week  was  usually  given  up  to 
laundry  work.  Fires  would  be  kindled  here  and  there ;  chil- 
dren sent  for  wood  to  replenish  them ;  tubs,  washboards,  and 
other  necessary  articles  used  in  this  process  would  be 
dragged  from  their  recesses  in  the  wagons;  posts  fixed  in 
the  ground,  if  there  were  not  bushes  enough,  and  lines 
stretched  from  one  to  another;  and  everyone  doing  some- 
thing, if  it  was  only  singing  a  lively  song  or  whistling  a 
merry  tune  to  keep  up  the  spirits  of  the  camp.  The  jolting 
of  the  wagons,  as  we  have  seen,  was  utilized  to  churn  the 
cream  into  butter,  and  William  Clayton,  on  the  pioneer  jour- 
ney, invented  an  odometer,  which  served  to  measure  accu- 
rately the  distance  passed.  One  gunsmith  is  said  to  have  in- 
vented a  species  of  repeating  rifle  on  this  exodus.  Every 
now  and  then  on  the  road,  the  first  company  contrived  to 
leave  messages  to  their  successors ;  the  peeled  side  of  a  tree, 
or  the  broad  white  surface  of  a  buffalo  head  answering  the 
purpose  as  well  as  the  best  paper  and  pencil. 

Such,  given  in  bare  outline,  is  the  famous  and  never-to- 
be-forgotten  journey  of  the  "Mormon"  pioneer  companies 
from  the  frontiers  of  eastern  civilization  into  the  heart  of 
the  great  American  desert. 


PART  FIFTH 

The  Mountain  of  the  Lord's  House 


CHAPTER  I 

A  BATTLE  WITH  THE  SOIL 

In  the  present  chapter  we  shall  detail  in  convenient  groups 
the  principal  events,  material,  and  spiritual,  which  lie  be- 
tween the  years  1847  and  1857. 

The  New  Home. 

Whatever  may  be  the  opinion  of  tourists  of  our  own  day  re- 
specting the  patch  of  verdure  lying  between  the  "cold  and 
barren  peaks"  of  Colorado  on  the  east  and  the  shifting  sands 
of  Nevada  on  the  west,  surely  that  was  no  paradise  of  the 
gods  upon  which  the  weary  eyes  of  the  "Mormon"  pilgrims 
rested  on  that  memorable  July  day  as  they  stood  on  the  sum- 
mit of  the  eastern  ridge  overlooking  the  Valley  of  the  great 
Salt  Lake.  It  almost  answered  to  that  famous  picture  of  the 
whole  West  which  the  great  Webster  drew  for  the  Senate 
some  years  before  this :  a  vast,  worthless  area,  a  region  of 
savages  and  wild  beasts,  of  deserts,  of  whirlwinds  of  dust,  of 
cactus  and  prairie  dogs,  of  endless  mountain  ranges,  impene- 
trable, and  covered  to  their  very  base  with  eternal  snow.  At 
all  events,  it  was  a  treeless  waste,  a  thirsty  alkali  desert, 
wholly  given  up  to  the  snake,  the  lizard,  and  the  cricket-eat- 
ing Indian.  No  marvel  that  some  of  the  women  of  the  pio- 
neer company  were  inconsolable  at  the  prospect  it  offered, 


A  BATTLE  WITH  THE  SOIL  451 

H 

and  expressed  a  desire  to  continue  the  journey  for  another 
thousand  miles ! 

Still,  the  company  in  the  main  were  pleased;  not  indeed 
with  what  the  natural  eye  beheld,  but  with  what  was  visible 
only  to  the  spiritual  organ.  It  offered  them  isolation  from 
the  cruel  arm  of  the  persecutor.  Here  they  could  be  alone 
with  their  own  laws  and  rulers ;  here  they  would  be  the  "old 
settlers,''  and  if,  according  to  the  principles  that  prevailed  in 
the  lands  where  they  came  from,  there  was  to  be  any  driving, 
they  would  not  be  the  driven.  That  the  place  was  now  deso- 
late, was  no  evidence  that,  under  their  transforming  hand, 
guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  it  might  not  become  a  place  of 
beauty  and  loveliness.  Was  not  the  marshland  of  Commerce 
dreary  and  repulsive  ?  And  yet  had  it  not  sprung  up  in  a  few 
years  into  a  city  of  which  any  community  might  be  proud? 
What,  in  the  language  of  Apostle  Woodruff  at  this  very 
time,  was  to  hinder  "the  house  of  God"  from  being  "estab- 
lished in  the  mountains,  and  exalted  above  the  hills,"  and 
these  valleys  from  being  "converted  into  orchards,  vineyards, 
and  fruitful  fields,  cities  erected  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
and  the  standard  of  Zion  unfurled  for  the  gathering  of  the 
nations?"  President  Young  expressed  his  "entire  satisfac- 
tion at  the  appearance  of  the  valley  as  a  resting  place  for 
the  Saints."  Shortly  after  this,  he  said,  "If  the  Gentiles  will 
let  us  alone  for  ten  years,  I'll  ask  no  odds  of  them." 

Anti-"Mormon"  writers  have  never  ceased  to  point,  with 
visible  triumph,  to  these  hopeful  feelings,  and  especially  to 
this  sentence  of  Brigham  Young's,  as  proof  that  it  was  the 
intention  of  the  "Mormons"  to  set  up  a  government  of  their 
own  and  assume  a  defiant  attitude  towards  the  nation.  But, 
as  our  own  writers  have  pointed  out,  such  a  view  is  wholly 
irreconcilable  with  the  general  conduct  of  the  President  and 
his  people.  That  there  were  both  opportunity  and  motives  at 
hand  to  do  this,  is  undeniable.     Utah  was  then  a  part  of 


452  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

Mexican  territory,  and  the  United  States  had  never  shown 
any  friendship  for  the  ''Mormons/'  It  is  perfectly  clear, 
also,  that  the  inhabitants  of  Utah,  especially  those  who  had 
lived  in  Missouri  and  Illinois,  hated  the  Missourian  with 
genuine  hatred ;  as  indeed  they  had  good  reason  to  do.  Anti- 
"Mormons'  are,  therefore,  right  enough  in  the  statement 
that  it  was  only  natural  that  the  Saints  should  wish  to  break 
away  entirely  from  Union  control,  but  they  are  wrong  in 
attributing  these  sentiments  to  the  early  "Mormons."  The 
feelings  are  only  those  that  would  have  been  entertained  by 
themselves  in  like  circumstances.  The  sentiments  enter- 
tained by  the  Saints  for  the  freest  government  in  the  world 
with  a  Constitution  inspired  of  heaven,  were  too  deep-rooted 
to  be  shaken  by  Missouri  mobs  or  even  by  the  cold  passivity 
of  the  national  government.  How  otherwise  can  we  explain 
the  hoisting  of  the  stars"  and  stripes  on  Ensign  peak  by  the 
pioneers,  and  their  appeal,  oftentimes  repeated,  for  admis- 
sion into  the  Union? 

Material  Grozvth. 

Very  naturally,  the  first  steps  taken  by  the  pioneers  of  '47 
were  those  looking  towards  an  increase  of  food  supplies  and 
making  themselves  comfortable  for  the  winter.  They  were 
many  hundred  miles  from  the  nearest  habitation,  and  it 
would  be  impossible  to  return  there  every  now  and  then 
when  food  was  needed.  It  was  like  being  on  a  ship  in  case 
of  fire — there  was  no  going  out  at  the  back  door. 

The  first  company,  upon  reaching  a  suitable  spot  in  the 
Valley,  began  plowing.  This  was  on  the  22nd  of  July.  Find- 
ing that  the  soil  was  dry  and  hard,  they  turned  water  upon  it 
from  the  creek,  and  so  commericed  the  great  system  of  irri- 
gation that  was  to  reclaim  the  American  desert.  On  the 
Monday  following  they  planted  several  acres  of  potatoes, 
corn,  peas,  and  other  vegetables.     But  the  crops  were  des- 


A     BATTLE  WITH  THE  SOIL  453 

tined  never  to  mature.  Later,  a  log  fort  was  built  on  the 
Sixth  ward  square,  a  series  of  log  and  adobe  cabins  in  the 
form  of  a  square,  entirely  closed.  The  highest  wall  was  on 
the  outside,  with  no  doors  or  windows — these  being  on  the 
other  side — but  only  port  holes,  which  might  be  useful  in 
case  of  Indian  attacks.  The  roof,  made  of  boards  or  split 
poles  covered  with  brush  and  earth,  all  sloped  towards  the 
inside  of  the  fort.  Inexperience  had  made  them  so  flat  that 
the  rain  and  melting  snow  leaked  through  upon  the  beds, 
tables,  and  stoves.  Frequently,  therefore,  during  the  wet 
season,  the  women  might  be  seen  at  the  cook  stove  holding 
over  them  an  umbrella  to  keep  the  rain  off,  or  perhaps  some- 
one reclining  or  lying  in  bed  under  this  unique  shelter.  But 
even  this  luxury  was  rare,  as  umbrellas  were  scarce.  A  sort 
of  clay  mixed  with  water  formed  a  whitewash  "only  inferior 
to  lime,"  but  it  would  not  hold  the  water  so  well  as  common 
mud.  Provisions  were  carefully  husbanded,  for  they  were 
certain  to  give  out  before  harvest  time.  Once,  on  New 
Year's,  Apostle  Taylor  gave  a  dancing  party — having  first 
obtained  permission  of  the  stake  president — at  which,  in  ad- 
dition to  a  "spread"  contributed  to  by  every  one  that  came — 
much  against  the  host's  feelings,  however — there  were 
speeches  grave  and  gay.  Clothing  also  became  threadbare 
that  winter,  and  the  skins  of  animals  were  utilized. 

One  of  the  brethren  who  spent  this  winter  in  the  valley 
records  his  pride  upon  coming  into  possession  of  a  pair  of 
elk-skin  trousers.  "All  is  quiet,  stillness,"  wrote  Apostle 
Parley  P.  Pratt  to  Orson  Hyde  at  Kanesville  of  the  first  year 
in  the  Valley.  "No  elections,  no  reports,  no  murders,  no  war 
in  our  little  world.  The  legislation  of  our  high  council,  the 
decision  of  some  court  or  bishop,  meeting,  a  dance,  a  visit,  an 
exploring  tour,  an  arrival  of  a  party  of  trappers  and  traders, 
a  Mexican  caravan,  a  party  arrived  from  the  Pacific,  from 
the  States,  from  Forts  Hall  or  Bridger,  a  visit  of  Indians,  or 


454  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

perhaps  a  mail  from  the  distant  world  once  or  twice  a  year, 
is  all  that  breaks  upon  the  monotony  of  our  peaceful  and  busy 
life.  The  drum  has  beat,  to  be  sure,  but  it  was  mingled  with 
merry  making,  or  its  martial  sound  was  rather  to  remind  us 
that  war  had  been  among  the  nations."  This  first  winter 
was  fortunately  an  unusual  one,  the  mildest  that  Utah  has 
ever  seen. 

Spring  opened  with  bright  prospects  for  the  colony  of 
Saints.  During  winter  there  had  been  plowing  every  now 
and  then.  In  February,  farmwork  was  begun  in  real  ear- 
nest. A  line  of  fencing  twelve  miles  long  had  been  con- 
structed, beginning  at  a  point  of  the  monutains  just  below 
the  warm  springs,  extending  through  what  is  now  the  Sev- 
enteenth ward,  to  the  Old  Fort  and  thence  past  Mill  Creek 
to  the  mountains,  and  enclosing  five  thousand  acres  of  land. 
All  this  ground  was  put  under  cultivation,  the  women  and 
children  aiding  in  the  work.  Meantime,  food  was  running 
short,  and  likewise  clothing.  Sego  and  thistle  roots  were 
therefore  called  into  requisition.  The  tops  of  the  thistle  made 
good  greens  and  furnished  the  necessary  bulk,  if  not  the  nu- 
triment; for,  as  one  of  those  who  lived  through  it  all  de- 
clares, with  grim  humor,  "to  have  the  stomach  full  was  an 
agreeable  sensation,  even  if  the  contents  were  only  thistle 
tops."  A  number  of  families,  moreover,  had  lost  some  of 
their  cows,  or  it  might  be  those  they  had  were  dry.  The 
common  dress  in  those  days,  for  men  and  women  alike,  was 
bed-ticking,  burlap,  or  the  skins  of  animals.  Contrasting, 
however,  with  this  primitive  apparel  was  an  occasional  silken 
gown  worn  in  the  kitchen,  which  had  been  put  on  as  a  last 
resort. 

In  this  manner  the  summer  wore  on.  But  their  troubles 
were  by  no  means  ended.  It  seemed,  indeed,  as  if  the  "hope" 
expressed  in  the  thirteenth  article  of  their  faith  were  des- 
tined to  receive  literal  fulfillment,  and  they  were  fated  really 


A      BATTLE  WITH  THE  SOIL  455 

"to  endure  all  things."  For  no  sooner  had  the  wheat  begun 
to  cover  the  fields  with  verdure,  and  they  to  look  forward 
hopefully  to  a  rich  harvest  than  great  clouds  of  crickets,  like 
one  of  Egypt's  plagues,  descended  from  the  hills  to  destroy 
their  crops.  In  vain  did  men,  women,  and  children  exert 
themselves  to  turn  aside  or  destroy  the  pests.  On  they  came 
with  ever  increasing  numbers,  eating,  as  they  did  so,  every 
green  thing  before  them,  leaving  behind  what  bore  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  burnt  prairie.  At  last  the  people  gave  up  in 
despair.  They  would  surely  starve  next  winter.  And  they 
thought  of  despatching  a  messenger  to  President  Young  im- 
ploring him  to  turn  back  with  his  companies.  Nor  were 
these  feelings  diminished  when,  one  morning  at  dawn,  they 
beheld  uncounted  hosts  of  sea  gulls  descending  upon  their 
fields  from  the  lake  islands.  "Doubtless,"  they  thought, 
"what  the  locusts  have  not  destroyed  the  fowls  will."  But  the 
gulls  proceeded,  strangely  enough,  to  destroy,  not  the  grain, 
but  the  crickets.  All  day  they  gorged  upon  the  pests,  flew 
to  the  lake  shore  to  disgorge,  and  back  to  the  fields  to  gorge 
again,  till  nothing  was  left  of  the  crickets ;  and  thus  half  the 
crops  were  saved.  A  strange  interposition  of  divine  love  the 
Saints  have  always  regarded  it,  like  the  feeding  of  the 
starved  Irsaelites  in  the  wilderness  and  the  descent  of  the 
quails  in  the  camps  of  modern  Israel  on  Mississippi's  banks ! 

In  the  winter  of  1848-9,  the  people  in  the  Valley  were 
put  on  rations.  It  was  found  soon  after  the  harvest  of  '48 
that,  counting  till  the  5th  of  the  following  July,  there  would 
be  three-fourths  pound  of  flour  a  day  for  each  person.  For 
the  rest,  they  managed,  as  they  had  done  before  harvest — 
roots  and  herbs  were  again  put  to  use.  And  their  clothing 
was  of  practically  the  same  texture  and  variety  as  in  the 
previous  year. 

While  the  Saints  were  living  in  this  primitive  manner, 
with  little  food  and  clothing,  there  occurred  a  strange  inci- 


456  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

dent,  which  unites  in  a  way  peculiar  to  the  "Mormons"  the 
temporal  and  the  spiritual.  One  Sabbath  day  at  a  public 
meeting,  President  Kimball  uttered  a  remarkable  prophecy. 
"Brethren,"  he  said,  after  referring  to  their  poverty,  "it  will 
be  but  a  little  while  before  you  shall  have  food  and  raiment 
in  abundance,  and  shall  buy  it  cheaper  than  it  can  be  bought 
in  the  city  of  St.  Louis !"  Great  was  the  astonishment  of 
the  brethren.  "I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it !"  frankly  con- 
fessed Charles  C.  Rich.  Heber  himself,  after  he  sat  down 
and  "the  Spirit  had  gone  out  of  him,"  had  very  serious  mis- 
givings. "I  believe,"  he  remarked,  "that  I've  missed  it  this 
time."  But  he  had  not.  For  "in  a  little  while"— 1849— 
long  trains  of  wagons  loaded  with  merchandise  came  into 
Salt  Lake  City  from  the  States,  on  their  way  to  the  new  El 
Dorado  in  California.  The  merchants  had  taken  this  means 
of  increasing  their  wealth,  instead  of  digging  for  gold.  But 
on  their  way,  like  thousands  of  others,  they  were  stricken 
with  the  gold  fever,  and  they  found,  on  reaching  the  Valley, 
that  their  merchandise  would  prove  only  an  exasperating 
hindrance  to  a  hasty  march.  So  they  gave  away  or  sold  at 
incredibly  low  prices  everything  in  the  shape  of  "incum- 
brance," which  they  had  laboriously  conveyed  from  the 
East.  Even  their  wagons  and  horses  they  were  anxious  to 
trade  for  lighter  vehicles  and  mules.  At  any  rate,  on  they 
went,  posthaste,  to  the  gold  fields,  leaving  wagon-loads  of 
"States  goods"  with  the  needy  "Mormons,"  in  literal  fulfill- 
ment of  one  of  the  most  remarkable  predictions  on  record. 

This  prophecy  subsequently  gave  President  Kimball  an 
opportunity  to  explain,  in  part  at  least,  the  strange  spiritual 
phenomenon  of  foretelling  future  events.  He  did  not  claim 
to  be  a  prophet,  he  said.  The  California  trains  would  have 
come  whether  or  not  he  had  predicted  their  coming.  Only, 
in  this  instance,  God  had  condescended  to  allow  his  servants 
to  "see  the  future  purposes  of  the  Lord."    He  had  heard  the 


A  BATTLE   WITH   THE  SOIL  457 

Prophet  Joseph  say,  he  went  on,  that  "he  was  much  tempted 
about  the  revelations  the  Lord  gave  through  him — it  seemed 
to  be  impossible  for  them  to  be  fulfilled." 

A  great  deal  was  done  during  these  ten  years — from  1847 
to  1857 — towards  expanding  the  "Mormons"  common- 
wealth. 

Salt  Lake  City  was  laid  out.  A  few  days  after  the  arrival 
of  the  first  company,  President  Young  and  a  few  other  lead- 
ing brethren  decided  to  set  apart  what  is  now  the  temple 
block.  The  city,  said  Brigham,  shall  be  commodious,  the 
streets  running  directly  east  and  west,  north  and  south  cross- 
ing at  right  angles.  The  center  blocks  were  to  be  ten  acres 
and  the  outer  ones  larger  in  proportion  to  their  distance  from 
the  temple  site.  Later,  exploring  parties  were  sent  out  in 
different  directions  from  the  camp;  and  these  traveled  a 
great  many  miles  visiting  the  warm  springs,  the  Jordan, 
and  the  lake,  in  the  latter  of  which  the  explorers  took  a 
plunge.  When  the  Old  Fort  had  been  vacated  and  houses 
began  to  appear  on  city  lots,  and  when  it  was  found  that  Salt 
Lake  Valley  would  not  accommodate  the  entire  population, 
settlements  were  formed  in  other  valleys. 

Thus,  Bountiful  was  settled  in  March,  1848,  by  Perrigrine 
Sessions ;  Ogden  valley,  in  June,  1848,  by  Captain  James 
Brown ;  Utah  valley,  in  March,  1849,  by  John  S.  Higbee ; 
Sanpete  valley,  in  November,  1849,  by  Isaac  Morley,  Seth 
Taft,  and  Charles  Shumway.  And  so  on  till  the  good  places 
of  the  State  had  been  discovered  and  built  up.  Sometimes, 
men  were  called  to  settle  in  this,  that  or  the  other  spot  with 
their  families;  and  the  men  thus  called  looked  upon  their 
work  as  a  mission  which  must  be  filled.  In  1853  there  were 
about  twenty  thousand  inhabitants  in  the  various  settlements, 
which  number  was  rapidly  increasing  every  year  by  emigra- 
tions from  England.  Commodious  frame  and  adobe  struc- 
tures were  taking  the  place  of  the  temporary  dwellings  that 


458  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

had  been  put  up  at  first.  Mills  and  factories  were  being  es- 
tablished ;  and  a  prosperous  community  was  growing  out  of 
the  poor  stragglers  that  wended  their  way,  in  1845,  from  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi.  In  an  incredibly  short  time  they 
had  found  a  new  home,  planted  and  harvested  immense  crops 
of  grain  and  other  food  stuffs,  established  towns  and  cities 
on  a  permanent  basis,  and  become  owners  of  large  tracts  of 
land  and  great  herds  of  cattle,  horses,  and  sheep. 

Another  famine,  however,  visited  the  Saints  in  1856.  The 
crops  of  '54  and  '55  had  both  failed,  owing  partly  to  the 
grasshoppers,  party  to  drought.  When  the  scarcity  began, 
many  people,  having  taken  the  repeated  counsel  of  the 
Church  authorities,  had  their  granaries  filled.  But  not  for 
long,  however,  for  they  either  gave  away  or  sold  their  grain 
to  the  needy  for  six  dollars  per  hundred,  the  regular .tithino- 
office  price,  whereas  they  might  have  obtained  the  market 
price  of  between  twenty  and  thirty  dollars.  Towards  the  end 
of  the  famine  there  was  great  suffering.  Most  of  the  people 
resorted  to  the  old  practice  of  digging  roots.  The  preceding 
winter,  too,  had  been  severe.  Hence,  the  cattle,  which  might 
have  served  for  food,  became  thin ;  thousands  of  them  died 
through  exposure  to  the  rough  weather  combined  with  lack 
of  food. 

Those  years  of  scarcity  in  Utah,  indeed  the  whole  period 
of  the  early  settlement,  were  one  long,  hard  battle  with  the 
soil — a  contest  in  which  victory  seemed  now  on  one  side,  now 
on  the  other.  Every  morsel  which  the  pioneer  ate  he  had  to 
wrest  by  the  strong  arm  of  toil  from  his  powerful  antag- 
onist. The  wild  mountain  streams  had  to  be  caught  and 
tamed  into  his  service.  The  alkali  plains  had  to  be  trans- 
formed into  fields  of  waving  green.  And  these  in  turn  had 
to  be  protected  from  the  ravages  of  insect  and  storm.  But 
under  it  all  he  was  happy  and  contented,  for  he  stood  no 
longer  in  dread  of  mobbings  and  drivings. 


A  BATTLE  WITH  THE  SOIL  459 

Spiritual  Events. 

These  temporal  affairs,  however,  while  they  necessarily  oc- 
cupied the  greater  portion  of  their  time  and  thoughts,  were 
not  the  only  things  that  claimed  the  attention  of  the  Saints. 
During  these  years  there  was  such  a  strange,  yet  absolutely 
necessary  and  unavoidable,  combination  of  the  civic  and  the 
religious  that  it  is  with  difficulty  that  the  events  of  those 
days  are  separated;  indeed,  sometimes  it  is  impossible  to 
do  so. 

The  25th  of  July,  1847,  being  Sunday,  two  meetings  were 
held  by  the  pioneers.  Among  the  speakers  was  Apostle 
Orson  Pratt,  whose  mind  meanwhile  had  evidently  been  ru- 
minating on  some  of  the  old  prophecies.  He  quoted  many 
passages  of  Scripture  to  show  that  the  Saints  in  coming  west 
to  the  Rocky  mountains  were  fulfilling  predictions  uttered 
hundreds  of  years  previously.  The  mountain  of  the  Lord's 
house  should  be  established  in  the  tops  of  the  mountains  and 
elevated  above  the  hills ;  an  ensign  here  should  be  unfurled 
for  the  gathering  of  the  nations ;  and  their  feet  were  to  be 
blessed,  who,  on  the  mountains,  should  publish  peace  and  say, 
'Thy  God  reigneth !" 

In  February,  1849,  Elders  Charles  C.  Rich,  Lorenzo  Snow, 
Erastus  Snow,  and  Franklin  D.  Richards  were  called  to  the 
apostleship  to  fill  vacancies  in  the  quorum  of  Twelve  occa- 
sioned by  the  organization  of  the  First  Presidency,  and  the 
apostasy  of  Lyman  Wight,  who  had  been  out  of  fellowship 
with  his  brethren  ever  since  the  martyrdom,  and  who  had 
shortly  afterwards  gone  to  Texas.  During  the  winter  pre- 
ceding (1847-8),  John  Smith  presided  over  the  Saints  in  the 
Valley,  but  when  he  was  made  Presiding  Patriarch  of  the 
whole  Church,  he  was  succeeded  in  the  office  of  president  of 
the  Salt  Lake  Stake  by  Daniel  Spencer  with  David  Fullmer 
and  Willard  Snow  as  counselors.  A  high  council  was  also 
organized.    At  a  council  meeting  held  on  the  22d  of  Febru- 


460  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

ary  of  the  same  year  (1849)  fifteen  new  wards  were  cre- 
ated in  Salt  Lake  City,  with  a  bishop  over  each,  four  wards 
having  already  been  organized.  At  the  October  confer- 
ence twenty  missionaries  were  called,  including  Apostles 
Taylor,  Erastus  Snow,  Lorenzo  Snow,  and  Richards.  On 
the  11th  of  March,  1854,  Willard  Richards  died,  and  his 
place  was  filled  by  Jedediah  M.  Grant.  He  had  been  one  of 
the  most  useful  men  in  the  Church,  especially  in  a  literary 
way.  He  had  long  been  the  Church  historian,  and  since 
June,  1850,  had  been  editor  of  the  Dcscret  News.  His  place 
in  the  Presidency  was  filled  by  a  man  of  strong  and  remark- 
able powers,  though  he  was  not  long  to  hold  that  high  office, 
for  he  was  called  hence  in  two  years  afterwards. 

One  other  religious  event  of  importance  remains  to  be 
noticed — the  Reformation  of  1856.  This  was  a  kind  of  re- 
vival which  occurred  in  the  Church,  beginning  at  Salt  Lake 
and  extending  to  the  remotest  branches  of  "Mormondom." 
At  a  meeting  held  in  the  Social  Hall,  President  Young  laid 
before  the  brethren  the  necessity  of  conforming  more  strictly 
to  the  principles  of  the  gospel  than  the  people  generally  had 
hitherto  done.  A  number  of  questions  had  been  formulated 
and  printed  on  a  sheet,  which  it  was  the  intention  to  dis- 
tribute among  the  Saints  for  their  answers — yes  or  no — to 
each  one.  Some  of  them  were,  in  substance :  Did  you  ever 
shed  innocent  blood?  Have  you  ever  committed  adultery? 
Have  you  ever  been  guilty  of  stealing?  Did  you  ever  bear 
false  witness  against  your  neighbor  ?  Do  you  take  the  name 
of  the  Lord  in  vain  ?  Do  you  ever  become  intoxicated  ?  Do 
you  respect  and  honor  the  priesthood?  Have  you  always 
taught  your  family  the  principles  of  right-living  to  the  best 
of  your  knowledge  ?    Do  you  attend  to  your  family  prayers  ? 

In  addition,  elders  were  sent  to  all  parts  of  the  territory 
and  distant  lands  preaching  the  Reformation,  till  everyone 
had  expressed  his  desire  to  do  better  or  to  remain  as  he  was. 


A  BATTLE  WITH  THE  SOIL  461 

President  Grant  was  probably  the  most  active  of  those  who 
took  a  prominent  part  in  this  movement.  He  went  from  one 
settlement  to  another  preaching  with  indefatigable  energy 
and  zeal  till  his  strong  constitution  broke  down  under  the 
tremendous  strain.  It  must  not  be  imagined,  however,  that 
hard  and  fast  lines  were  laid  down  for  the  people.  On  the 
contrary,  the  spirit  of  this  work  was  one  of  charity  and  for- 
giveness. The  Saints  were  urged  to  forsake  their  sins,  con- 
fessing them  to  those  they  had  wronged,  and  seeking  to  im- 
prove. There  were  few  excommunications  during  this  whole 
period  of  the  reformation. 


CHAPTER  II 

i 

ON   TO  THE  SOUTH  ! 

The  uniform  quiet  which  Apostle  Pratt  speaks  of  as  reigning 
in  the  Valley  was  destined  to  be  suddenly  and  rudely  broken, 
in  the  year  1857,  by  one  of  the  most  remarkable  incidents  in 
the  eventful  career  of  the  "Mormon"  people. 

Pioneer  Day. 

It  was  the  twenty-fourth  of  July,  and  a  select  company  of 
about  two  thousand  Saints — men,  women,  and  children — 
were  celebrating  at  the  picturesque  head  of  Big  Cottonwood 
canyon,  twenty-five  miles  south  and  east  of  the  city.  A  tem- 
porary pavilion  had  been  erected  for  dancing,  the  stars  and 
stripes  waved  in  the  mountain  breezes  from  the  highest 
peaks,  and  brass  bands  had  been  brought  along  to  add  to  the 
day's  enjoyment.  Some  time  in  the  afternoon,  while  the 
people  were  collected  here  and  there  in  groups  talking 
mainly  of  the  exciting  times  through  which  they  had  passed 
in  Missouri  and  Illinois,  and  of  the  peace  which  they  hoped 
to  enjoy  in  their  newly-found  home  in  the  West,  their  harm- 
less reminiscences  and  anticipations  were  interrupted  with 
strange  suddenness. 

Four  men  rode  into  the  place,  and  sought  the  presence  of 
President  Young.  Their  panting  steeds  hinted  at  an  unusual 
mission,  and  general  curiosity  was  aroused.  Could  it  be 
that  something  had  occurred  in  the  city  during  the  people's 
absence?  Had  a  hurricane  blown  down  their  houses  or  fires 
destroyed  them  ?  Evidently  not,  for  three  of  these  men  were 
supposed  to  be  in  the  East.  Beyond  all  question,  therefore, 
their  message  concerned  something  that  had  happened,  or 


ON  TO  THE  SOUTH  !  463 

was  still  happening,  on  the  frontiers.  What  was  it?  Long" 
and  earnest  was  the  secret  conference  between  these  four 
men  and  a  number  of  the  leading  brethren  who  had  been 
hastily  called  to  the  council. 

The  people  had  not  long  to  wait  after  the  meeting  broke 
up.  They  were  called  together  at  the  pavilion  to  hear  the 
latest  news.  General  Wells  addressed  them.  A  United 
States  army,  he  said,  was  on  its  way  to  Utah  to  put  down 
a  rebellion  that  existed  here!  A.  O.  Smoot,  Judson 
Stoddard,  and  O.  P.  Rockwell  had  just  arrived  with  the 
startling  intelligence.  There  was  no  doubt  of  it,  for  they 
had  seen  some  of  the  troops  and  trains  of  provisions  in  Mis- 
souri. Then  the  General  gave  instructions  concerning  the 
matter  of  leaving  next  morning.  President  Young  remained 
silent.  On  the  morning  of  the  twenty-fifth,  therefore,  the 
Saints  left  the  canyon  for  their  homes. 

"Buchanan  s  Blunder." 

Some  time  before  this  a  man  by  the  name  of  William  W. 
Drummond  was  sent  to  Utah  as  a  Federal  judge.  It  is  of 
this  man's  antics  that  we  must  now  speak,  since  they  are 
closely  connected  with  the  present  story.  "Leaving  his  wife 
and  family  in  Illinois  without  the  means  of  support,"  says 
Bancroft,  "he  brought  with  him  a  harlot  whom  he  had  picked 
up  in  the  streets  of  Washington,  and  introducing  her  as  Mrs. 
Drummond,  seated  her  by  his  side  on  the  judicial  bench. 
Gambler  and  bully,  he  openly  avowed  that  he  had  come  to 
Utah  to  make  money."  A  lady  in  Salt  Lake,  a  sister  of  the 
real  Mrs.  Drummond,  hearing  that  the  judge's  wife  had  ar- 
rived in  the  city,  paid  her  a  visit,  and  of  course,  was  very 
much  astonished  at  rinding  a  different  person  in  charge  of 
his  household.  Drummond  openly  insulted  the  community 
"by  mocking  at  their  laws  and  institutions,  and  especially  at 
the  institution  of  polygamy."    As  a  result  he  won  the  ill-will 


464  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

of  those  whom  he  had  come  to  judge.  But  he  did  not  re- 
main here  long.  After  holding  a  short  term  of  court  at  Car- 
son, then  in  Utah  but  now  in  Nevada,  he  unceremoniously 
departed  with  his  graceless  companion,  going  home  by  way 
of  California. 

Utah,  however,  was  soon  to  hear  of  the  runaway  Judge. 
On  the  30th  of  March  (1857)  he  wrote  to  the  attorney-gen- 
eral at  Washington  resigning  his  position  as  Territorial 
judge  in  Utah  and  giving  his  reasons  for  this  action.  In 
the  first  place,  he  said,  the  "Mormons"  looked  to  Brigham 
Young  alone  for  the  law ;  secondly,  all  the  male  members  of 
the  "Mormon"  Church  were  bound  together  in  secret  cove- 
nant "to  resist  the  laws  of  the  country;"  thirdly,  "he  was 
fully  aware  that  there  was  a  set  of  men,  set  apart  by  special 
order  of  the  Church,  to  take  both  the  lives  and  property  of 
persons  who  might  question  the  authority  of  the  Church," 
whose  names  he  would  make  known  "at  a  future  time;" 
fourthly,  the  records,  papers,  etc.,  of  the  Supreme  Court  had 
been  destroyed  by  order  of  the  Church,  and  the  Federal 
officers  grossly  insulted  for  presuming  to  raise  a  single  ques- 
tion about  the  treasonable  act;"  fifthly,  the  Federal  officers 
there  were  "constantly  insulted,  harassed,  and  annoyed  by 
the  Mormons,"  for  which  insults  there  was  no  redress; 
sixthly,  the  Federal  officers  were  "daily  compelled  to  hear  the 
forms  of  the  American  Government  traduced,  the  chief  ex- 
ecutives of  the  nation,  living  and  dead,  slandered  and  abused, 
in  the  most  vulgar,  loathsome,  and  wicked  manner."  These 
were  followed  by  details  of  alleged  "Mormon"  disloyalty. 

This  communication  to  the  attorney-general  had  been 
most  suitably  introduced  by  a  letter  from  a  man  here  by  the 
name  of  Magraw,  a  non-"Mormon"  who  had  been  the  head 
of  the  mail  service,  addressed  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  in  which  he  dilated  upon  the  heroism  and  self-sacri- 
fice required  to  live  among  or  deal  with  the  "Mormons"  on 


ON  TO  THE  SOUTH  !  465 

account  of  their  disrespect  for  Gentile  law,  life,  and  property. 

That  these  charges  were  pure  fabrications  it  is  perhaps 
needless  to  say,  in  view  of  what  we  already  know  of  the  peo- 
ple thus  basely  slandered  by  those  who  associated  with  them 
from  no  other  motive  than  gain.  The  Magraw  communica- 
tion was  inspired  by  revenge  for  not  obtaining  a  renewal  of 
the  contract  to  carry  the  mails  from  Independence,  Missouri, 
to  Salt  Lake  City;  the  other,  by  the  social  ostracism  which 
had  been  justly  meted  out  to  the  Judge  as  soon  as  it  was 
known  that  he  was  living  with  a  woman  who  was  not  his 
wife.  Drummond's  charges  were  refuted  by  Mr.  Curtis  E. 
Bolton,  deputy  clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Utah,  in  a 
letter  to  the  President. 

The  President's  duty  in  this  matter  was,  plainly  enough, 
to  send  out  a  commission  to  inquire  into  the  charges  made 
against  the  "Mormons,"  as  he  had  recently  done  in  the  Kan- 
sas troubles.  But  for  some  secret  reason — most  probably  to 
take  as  many  of  the  Northern  troops  as  far  away  as  possi- 
ble from  the  scene  of  conflict  which  he  saw  to  be  approach- 
ing— he  chose  to  do  otherwise,  to  send  an  army  of  nearly 
twenty-five  hundred  men  to  suppress  a  rebellion  that  did  not 
exist.  And  what  is  more,  the  movements  of  the  army  were 
studiously  kept  from  the  ears  of  the  "Mormons."  On  the 
frontiers  the  soldiers  were  provisioned  for  the  journey  of 
more  than  fifteen  hundred  miles.  It  was  the  work  involved 
in  fitting  out  on  the  frontiers  this  body  of  troops,  and  the  re- 
fusal of  the  postal  officials  at  Independence  to  give  up  the 
mails  to  the  regular  carriers,  that  gave  the  first  suspicions 
to  A.  O.  Smoot  and  others  from  the  Valley  concerning  the 
proposed  expedition  against  the  "Mormons." 

And  so  the  United  States  troops,  in  charge  of  General 
Harney,  were  marching  to  Utah.  "I  am  ordered  there,"  said 
this  determined  leader,  "and  I  will  winter  in  the  valley  or  in 
hell !"    But  he  did  not  "winter  in  the  Valley ;"  he  was  sent 


466  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

for  presently  to  take  his  former  post  in  Kansas,  and  Colonel 
Johnston  was  sent  west  to  assume  command  of  his  forces. 
Between  the  time  when  Harney  left  and  the  time  when 
Johnston  arrived,  they  were  in  charge  of  Colonel  Alexander, 
who  was  in  total  ignorance  of  the  general  purpose  of  the  ex- 
pedition. 

Meantime,  the  army  was  approaching  its  destination. 
They  found  the  grass  burned  all  along  their  route,  and,  be- 
sides, the  "Mormons"  worried  their  trains  on  every  hand, 
driving  off  their  cattle  and  even  burning  their  wagons  and 
provisions.  Moreover,  the  snow  was  beginning  to  fall  and 
the  cold  to  set  in ;  they  would  have  to  seek  winter  quarters. 
When  Johnston  reached  South  Pass,  he  ordered  the  troops 
to  proceed  to  Fontenelle  Creek,  where  there  was  abundant 
pasture.  Later  they  were  ordered  to  Fort  Bridger,  where 
they  improvised  tents  for  the  winter.  They  discovered 
themselves  to  be  poorly  enough  provisioned,  the  quartermas- 
ter having  packed  the  wagons,  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  "with 
such  goods  as  were  at  hand,  taking  no  trouble  to  procure 
for  them  their  due  proportion  of  other  stores."  Most  of 
their  beef  cattle  had  been  run  off.  Hence,  thinks  Bancroft, 
they  suffered  "privations  no  less  severe  than  those  endured 
at  Valley  Forge  eighty-one  years  before." 

In  the  latter  part  of  June,  1858,  Johnston's  army  marched 
into  Salt  Lake.  But  it  was  a  dead  city  through  which  they 
passed.  The  houses  were  deserted ;  the  barns  and  granaries 
were  empty ;  the  fruit  hung  ripening  on  the  trees ;  the  water 
ran  rippling  down  the  street  gutters ;  there  was  no  sign  of 
life  anywhere ;  not  a  dog  barked,  not  a  sound  was  heard, 
save  the  regular  tramp,  tramp  of  the  soldiery.  On  went  the 
troops,  awestricken  at  the  sight,  till  they  got  far  beyond  the 
dead  city,  encamping  on  the  Jordan. 


ON  TO  THE  SOUTH  !  467 

A  Strange  Exodus. 

What  had  become  of  the  "Mormon"  people  who  so  recently 
had  occupied  their  flourishing  settlements,  and  taken  such 
joy  in  the  permanency  of  their  home? 

News  of  the  army  marching  against  them  had  caused 
great  consternation  among  the  Saints.  There  arose  in  their 
minds  visions  of  those  days  at  Far  West  when  they  first  dis- 
covered that  an  army  of  two  thousand  mob-militia  was  com- 
ing upon  them,  and  also  of  those  last  days  of  Nauvoo  when 
Reverend  Brockman  and  his  band  of  ''Regulators"  pounced 
upon  the  unhappy  remnants.  Was  this  to  be  a  repetition  of 
those  hideous  and  never-to-be-forgotten  scenes?  Manifestly. 
But  it  should  not  be.  "We  have  transgressed  no  law,"  said 
President  Young  at  a  public  meeting,  "neither  do  we  intend 
to  do  so ;  but  as  for  any  nation  coming  to  destroy  this  people, 
God  Almighty  being  my  helper,  it  shall  not  be."  And  in  an- 
other discourse  he  said,  "I  am  not  going  to  permit  troops 
here  for  the  protection  of  the  priests  and  the  rabble  in  their 
efforts  to  drive  us  from  the  land  we  possess.  .  .  Before 
I  will  again  suffer  as  I  have  in  times  gone  by,  there  shall 
not  one  building,  nor  one  foot  of  lumber,  nor  a  fence,  nor  a 
tree,  nor  a  particle  of  grass  or  hay  that  will  burn  be  left  in 
reach  of  our  enemies.  I  am  sworn,  if  driven  to  extremity, 
to  utterly  waste  this  land  in  the  name  of  Israel's  God,  and 
out  enemies  shall  find  it  as  barren  as  when  we  came  here." 

Before  judging  this  apparently  defiant  attitude  of  Brig- 
ham  Young  and  the  "Mormons,"  let  us  recall  the  whole  situ- 
ation. The  Saints  knew  that  they  were  innocent  of  the 
charges  made  against  them.  They  knew  that  the  life  and 
property  of  the  Gentiles  among  them  were  as  safe  as  else^ 
where.  They  knew  that  no  people  regarded  more  sacredly 
the  laws  and  government  of  the  nation  than  they  did.  They 
knew  that  the  records  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Territory 
had  not  been  burned.     They  knew,  therefore,  that  Drum- 


468  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

mond  and  Magraw  had  deliberately  and  wantonly  lied  about 
them.  More  than  that.  They  were  aware  that  the  flame  of 
public  sentiment  in  the  East  was  being  fanned  into  a  confla- 
gration by  these  and  other  gross  falsehoods  sent  from 
Utah.  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  the  one-time  friend  of  the  ''Mor- 
mon" people,  seeking  to  win  popularity  enough,  at  the  ex- 
pense of  those  who  had  done  him  many  favors,  to  hoist  him 
into  the  presidential  chair,  styled  "Mormonism"  a  "loath- 
some ulcer  on  the  body  politic"  and  urged  Congress  to  apply 
the  knife  to  the  "disgusting  ulcer."  Knowing  how  strong 
was  the  popular  feeling,  and  how  baseless  were  the  clamors 
against  them,  can  it  be  wondered  that  a  body  of  Anglo-Sax- 
ons would  take  such  a  stand  as  the  "Mormons"  did?  What 
other  attitude  could  they  possibly  assume  and  retain  their 
manhood  and  honor? 

The  first  point,  then,  was  that  the  army  was  not  to  enter 
the  valley.  Harney  might  "winter  in  hell"  if  he  chose,  but 
he  should  not  be  permitted  to  do  so  in  Utah.  Nor  was  Brig- 
ham  Young  overstepping  his  authority  in  taking  this  stand. 
He  was  Governor  of  the  Territory,  and  he  had  not  received 
official  notification  of  the  army's  coming.  For  aught  he 
knew,  therefore,  it  was  a  body  of  foreign  troops  invading  the 
dominion  of  the  United  States.  And  it  was  his  duty  to  pre- 
vent such  a  threatened  invasion.  As  soon  as  this  point  was 
settled,  General  Wells,  with  portions  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion, 
which  numbered  between  four  and  five  thousand  men,  was 
ordered  to  Echo  canyon,  a  long,  narrow  defile  with  high 
precipitous  walls,  to  prevent  the  entrance  into  Salt  Lake  val- 
ley. This  place  was  carefully  fortified  and  guarded ;  parties 
under  Lot  Smith  were  despatched  to  harry  the  wagons  and 
advance  troops.  They  were  instructed  to  burn  the  grass  in 
front  of  the  army,  to  drive  off  the  cattle,  to  worry  the  camps 
at  night,  and,  in  short,  to  do  anything  to  impede  the  progress 
of  the  army  except  to  shed  blood.     They  were  explicitly 


ON  TO  THE  SOUTH  !  469 

given  to  understand  that  this,  so  far  as  the  "Mormons"  were 
concerned,  should  be  an  entirely  "bloodless  campaign."  Lot 
Smith  did  as  he  was  instructed.  Once  he  set  fire  to  three 
trains  of  supplies,  and  on  another  occasion  brought  into  the 
valley  a  herd  of  about  five  hundred  beef  cattle.  Even  the 
provisions  and  quarters  at  Fort  Bridger  were  destroyed ;  so 
that  the  army  found  their  winter  quarters  worse  than  it 
would  otherwise  have  been. 

But  it  should  be  understood,  however,  that  efforts  had 
been  made  to  secure  entrance  into  the  valley  by  peaceable 
means.  General  Harney  had  delegated  Captain  Van  Vliet  to 
go  to  Salt  Lake  City  to  ascertain  whether  forage  and  fuel 
could  be  purchased.  He  was  well  received  by  President 
Young,  with  whom  and  a  number  of  other  leading  "Mor- 
mons," he  had  a  long  conference.  The  President  explained 
the  whole  situation  to  the  Captain.  "The  governor  informed 
me,"  said  Captain  Van  Vliet,  in  his  official  report,  "that  there 
was  abundance  of  everything  I  required  for  the  troops,  such 
as  lumber,  forage,  etc.,  but  that  none  would  be  sold  to  us." 
The  Captain  told  the  brethren  what  would  be  the  result  of 
such  a  course — this  army  might  be  destroyed,  but  a  larger 
one  would  come  and  annihilate  the  people.  "We  are  aware," 
was  the  calm  reply,  "that  such  will  be  the  case;  but  when 
those  troops  arrive,  they  will  find  Utah  a  desert."  He  had 
attended  a  public  meeting  in  the  Tabernacle,  at  which  over 
four  thousand  people  voted  to  apply  the  torch  to  their  homes, 
if  necessary.  And  the  troops,  as  we  have  seen,  took  up  win- 
ter quarters  at  Fort  Bridger. 

By  the  next  spring,  a  reaction  began  to  appear  in  the 
Eastern  sentiment  against  the  "Mormons,"  and  President 
Buchanan's  eyes  commenced  to  open  to  his  gigantic  blunder. 
Colonel  Thomas  L.  Kane,  under  cover  of  another  name,  ar- 
rived in  Salt  Lake  City  in  February,  having  come  by  way 
of  California.     In  any  guise  and  on  any  mission  the  kind- 


470  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

hearted  Colonel  would  have  been  gladly  welcomed  by  the 
Saints ;  but  he  was  twice  welcome  now  for  his  mission  was 
to  bring  about  a  peaceable  settlement  of  the  difficulties. 
Without  entering  into  details,  we  may  say  that  he  accom- 
plished his  purpose  admirably.  One  of  the  objects  of  the 
expedition  was  to  install  a  new  governor  in  the  person  of 
Alfred  Cumming.  Upon  visiting  the  camps  of  the  army, 
Colonel  Kane  induced  Governor  Cumming  to  accompany  him 
to  the  city.  The  latter  did  so,  and  was  welcomed  by  Presi- 
dent Young  and  the  whole  people.  "I  have  everywhere 
been  recognized  as  Governor  of  Utah,"  said  Mr.  Cumming, 
in  a  communication  to  General  Johnston,  a  few  days  after 
his  arrival  in  Salt  Lake ;  "and,  so  far  from  having  encoun- 
tered insults  or  indignities,  I  am  gratified  in  being  able  to 
state  to  you  that,  in  passing  through  the  settlements,  I  have 
been  universally  greeted  with  such  respectful  attentions  as 
are  due  to  the  representative  authority  of  the  United  States 
in  the  Territory."  Subsequently,  the  Governor  declared 
that  he  had  examined  the  records  of  the  Supreme  and  Dis- 
trict courts  and  found  them  "perfect  and  unimpaired." 

President  Young  did  not  now  object  to  the  troops  passing 
through  the  city.  It  was  decided  that  they  should  march 
to  a  point  beyond,  where  they  would  be  likely  to  do  no  mis- 
chief. But  the  original  purpose  of  migrating  south  was  not 
abandoned.  Governor  Cumming  exerted  his  influence  to  the 
utmost  to  induce  President  Young  not  to  move  his  people ; 
but  the  suspicious  Brigham  remained  unalterable,  and  prep- 
arations for  the  burning  went  on.  "There  is  no  longer  any 
danger,"  said  the  kindly  Governor;  "General  Johnson  and 
his  army  will  keep  faith  with  you."  "We  know  all  about  it. 
Governor,"  was  the  reply  of  President  Young,  "we  have  on 
just  such  occasions  seen  our  disarmed  men  hewn  down  in 
cold  blood,  our  virgin  daughters  violated,  our  wives  rav- 
ished to  death  before  our  eyes.    We  know  all  about  it !"    To 


ON   TO  THE  SOUTH  !  471 

the  commissioners  appointed  by  President  Buchanan — they 
had  come  with  a  pardon  for  the  "Mormon"  people! — Brig- 
ham  had  said :  "Before  the  troops  reach  here,  this  city  will 
be  in  ashes,  every  tree  and  shrub  will  be  cut  to  the  ground, 
and  every  blade  of  grass  that  will  burn  shall  be  burned.  Our 
wives  and  children  will  go  to  the  canyons,  and  take  shelter 
in  the  mountains.  .  .  .  No  mob  can  live  in  the  homes 
we  have  built." 

And  so  it  would  have  been  at  the  slightest  hint  of  depre- 
dations on  the  part  of  the  army  on  their  march.  Before  the 
26th  of  June,  the  people  had  deserted  all  the  northern  set- 
tlements. All  the  provisions  that  they  did  not  need,  they 
cached  securely.  For  many  days  an  almost  continuous  train 
of  wagons  might  have  been  seen  going  southward.  No  one 
seemed  to  know  where  he  was  going ;  but  "On  to  the  South !" 
was  the  universal  cry.  There  was  great  suffering  entailed 
in  this  unfortunate  move.  Many  were  indigent.  We  read  of 
poorly-dressed  and  bare-footed  men,  women,  and  children. 
It  rained  almost  incessantly  the  while.  Those  who  had  more 
than  one  family  to  move,  had  to  make  several  trips  from 
Provo  to  Salt  Lake ;  and  those  who  had  no  means  of  going 
alone  went  with  their  neighbors.  But  go  they  did,  in  obedi- 
ence to  the  command  of  their  leader,  and,  as  they  thought,  to 
preserve  their  own  lives.  Only  enough  men  were  left  in  the 
settlements  to  set  fire  to  the  houses.  Old  timers  still  point 
to  the  places  in  and  around  their  premises  where  straw  and 
other  combustible  material  were  thrown  down  ready  for  the 
torch  that  would  make  them  homeless.  One  false  move, 
therefore,  on  the  part  of  the  army  would  have  brought  on 
simultaneously  mighty  conflagrations  in  all  the  settlements 
in  and  north  of  the  city.  This  is  how  the  troops  when  they 
entered  the  valley  found  Salt  Lake  deserted. 

When  the  army  had  got  to  a  safe  distance,  the  people 
returned  to  their  homes,  and  went  about  their  business,  with- 


472  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

out  realizing  that  they  had  just  lived  through  a  period, 
which,  for  dramatic  and  sublime  elements,  can  scarcely  be 
paralleled  in  the  history  of  any  people. 

But  even  out  of  this  evil  some  good  was  eventually  to 
come.  Remaining  three  days  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  the 
troops  pushed  on  to  Cedar  valley,  where  a  site  had  been 
chosen.  At  this  place,  which  was  called  Camp  Floyd,  they 
remained  till  they  were  called  to  fight  in  the  real  rebellion, 
the  conflict  between  the  North  and  the  South.  It  is  curious 
to  note  that  General  Johnston  died  in  a  struggle  against  the 
country  which  he  came  to  Utah  ostensibly  to  defend.  In  the 
vicinity  of  the  Camp,  for  many  miles,  the  farmers  were 
amply  repaid  for  the  presence  of  the  troops.  Many  of  these 
latter  were  poor,  and  this  opportunity  to  dispose  of  the 
products  of  their  farms  at  high  prices  was  greatly  bene- 
ficial to  them.  In  addition  to  this,  when  the  army  left,  large 
quantities  of  clothing,  blankets,  etc.,  were  sold  at  low  prices. 

But  the  presence  of  the  troops  was  to  cost  Salt  Lake 
dearly  enough  in  the  host  of  camp  followers  that  drank, 
fought,  and  killed  each  other  in  the  city. 


CHAPTER  Til 

a  "fly"  in  the  national  ointment 

The  doctrine  of  "Mormonism"  that  has  attracted  the  widest 
public  attention,  and,  strangely  enough,  the  one  that  has  been 
the  least  understood,  and  most  grossly  misrepresented,  is 
what  is  known  among  the  Saints  as  Celestial  Marriage,  in- 
cluding a  plurality  of  wives,  and  among  non-"  Mormons  '  as 
Polygamy.  We  do  not  intend  in  this  chapter  to  make  an 
argument  for  this  tenet,  but  merely  to  state  the  facts  in  the 
case,  without  which  the  remaining  parts  of  this  book  cannot 
be  readily  comprehended. 

The  Origin  of  American  "Polygamy." 

At  a  special  conference  of  the  Church,  held  at  Salt  Lake 
City,  August  28th  and  29th,  1852,  the  first  public  announce- 
ment of  the  doctrine  was  made.  The  revelation  contained 
in  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants  (section  132)  was  read,  and 
a  discourse  delivered  by  Apostle  Orson  Pratt.  The  revela- 
tion was  then  published  in  pamphlet  form  and  widely  dis- 
tributed throughout  the  United  States.  At  the  same  time 
missionaries  were  sent  abroad  to  proclaim  the  peculiar  tenets 
of  "Mormonism,"  not  excluding  this  doctrine. 

But  this  was  by  no  means  the  beginning  of  plural  mar- 
riage among  the  Saints.  As  early  as  1831,  while  Joseph  was 
"translating"  the  Scriptures,  he  received  a  revelation  on  the 
subject,  id  answer  to  his  inquiries  as  to  why  the  Lord  justi- 
fied Abraham,  Jacob,  Moses,  David,  and  Solomon  in  having 
"many  wives  and  concubines."  But  the  Prophet  at. the  time 
said  nothing  about  the  doctrine  to  his  people,  outside  of  one 
or  two  of  his  most  intimate  associates,  so  violently  did  it 


474  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

clash  with  modern  notions  respecting  the  domestic  relations. 
However,  at  Nauvoo,  he  was  again  commanded  to  teach  and 
practice  the  principle.  He  appears  to  have  hesitated,  as  well 
he  might ;  whereupon  an  angel  with  drawn  sword  appeared 
before  him  and  told  him  that  he  should  be  destroyed  unless 
he  did  as  he  was  commanded  in  the  matter.  From  that  time 
on  till  his  martyrdom,  we  find  him  teaching  the  principle  to 
his  friends — those  whom  he  thought  he  could  trust.  And  not 
only  did  he  teach  it,  but  he  practiced  it,  marrying  several 
women  according  to  the  celestial  order,  and  counseling  his 
brethren  to  do  the  same.  Some  time  in  July,  1843,  a  part  of 
the  revelation  was  written  and  read  to  the  high  council  by 
Hyrum  Smith,  all  of  whom,  except  two  or  three,  received  it 
as  true  doctrine.  Among  those  whom  the  Prophet  had  sealed 
to  him  for  time  and  eternity  were  Eliza  R.  Snow,  Sarah  Ann 
Whitney,  Helen  Mar  Kimball,  and  Lucy  Walker.  A  num- 
ber of  other  leading  brethren  of  the  Church  also  entered 
into  the  practice. 

All  this,  of  course,  was  not  public  at  the  time,  for  it 
would  have  been  thought  by  most  of  the  Saints  themselves 
as  grave  immorality,  and  would  probably  have  brought  about 
Joseph's  immediate  death.  As  it  was,  his  martyrdom  at  Car- 
thage was  due  in  some  measure  to  the  antagonism  which  this 
principle  had  roused  among  the  apostates  at  Nauvoo.  But 
these  facts  are  so  well  authenticated  that  no  one  at  all  ac- 
quainted with  the  history  of  the  Church  can  deny  them,  ex- 
cept, indeed,  those  whose  interest  it  is  to  hide  the  truth. 
Those  who  wish  to  verify  these  facts  can  do  so  by  reading 
(Historical  Record,  pp.  219-234)  the  numerous  affidavits  by 
several  of  the  Prophet's  wives  and  those  also  of  the  brethren 
who  were  taught  the  doctrine  by  Joseph  himself. 

The  substance  of  this  revelation  on  marriage — "the  new 
and  everlasting  covenant" — is  as  follows.  After  instructing 
Joseph  "to  prepare  his  heart  to  receive  and  obey  this  law,  it 


A  FLY  IN  THE  NATIONAL  OINTMENT  475 

goes  on  to  say  that  "all  covenants,  contracts,  bonds,  obliga- 
tions, oaths,  vows,  performances,  connections,  associations, 
or  expectations"  that  are  not  entered  into  and  sealed  "by  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  promise"  through  him  who  has  the  authority 
to  do  so,  "are  of  no  efficacy,  virtue,  or  force,  in  and  after  the 
resurrection  from  the  dead."  This  is  a  law  upon  which  is 
predicated  entrance  to  God's  glory ;  and  "all  those  who  have 
this  law  revealed  unto  them  must  obey  the  same,"  otherwise 
they  are  damned.  "Whatsoever  things  remain  are  by  me,'* 
said  the  Lord,  "and  whatsoever  things  are  not  by  me,  shall  be 
shaken  and  destroyed."  This  applied  to  marriage  means  that 
"if  a  man  marry  a  wife  in  the  world,"  by  any  authority  other 
than  God's,  "the  covenant  and  marriage  are  not  of  force 
when  they  are  dead."  And  in  the  other  world  the  parties 
thereto  shall  be  as  the  angels,  ministers  to  those  worthy  of  a 
higher  degree  of  glory,  but  who  did  not  obey  the  law  by 
which  they  might  be  "enlarged."  If,  on  the  contrary,  a  man 
marry  a  wife  according  to  this  "new  and  everlasting  cove- 
nant," the  parties  thereto,  unless  they  shed  innocent  blood, 
"shall  pass  by  the  angels,  and  the  Gods,  which  are  set  there, 
to  their  exaltation  and  glory  in  all  things,  as  hath  been  sealed 
upon  their  heads,  which  glory  shall  be  a  fullness  and  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  seeds  for  ever  and  ever." 

The  revelation  then  goes  on  to  speak  of  the  promise  given 
unto  Abraham  according  to  which  his  seed  was  to  become  as 
numerous  as  the  sands  on  the  sea  shore ;  part  of  which  was 
fulfilled  in  Sarah's  giving  Hagar  to  the  Patriarch.  Abra- 
ham received  concubines,  who  bore  him  children,  "and  it  was 
accounted  unto  him  for  righteousness,  because  they  were 
given  unto  him,  and  he  abode  in  my  law."  So  with  the  other 
men  of  God  "from  the  creation  until  this  time,"  "in  nothing 
did  they  sin,  save  in  those  things  which  they  received  not  of 
me"  Then  follow  the  laws  regulating  adultery.  "If  any 
man  espouse  a  virgin,"  is   the  passage  authorizing  plural 


476  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

marriage  in  this  dispensation,  "and  desire  to  espouse  another, 
and  the  first  give  her  consent ;  and  if  he  espouse  the  second, 
and  they  are  virgins,  and  have  vowed  to  no  other  man,  then 
he  is  justified ;  he  cannot  commit  adultery,  for  they  are  given 
unto  him;  and  if  he  have  ten  virgins  given  unto  him  by  this 
law,  he  is  justified." 

Two  or  three  words  of  comment  on  this  revelation  are 
necessary  by  way  of  correcting  some  wrong  notions  that 
prevail  respecting  the  doctrines  it  teaches. 

In  the  first  place,  the  principle  of  plural  marriage  is  not 
the  only,  in  fact  not  the  main,  one  advanced  here.  It  is  com- 
paratively incidental,  if  we  may  so  speak.  On  the  contrary, 
the  principal  topic  is  the  eternity  of  the  marriage  covenant 
when  "entered  into,  and  sealed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  prom- 
ise." The  common  idea  entertained  by  the  whole  Christian 
world  is,  that  marriage  is  something  pertaining  only  to  this 
world  of  sin — that  it  is,  in  fact,  a  kind  of  temporary  arrange- 
ment in  human  society,  to  be  no  longer  known  or  recognized 
after  death.  Hence,  this  new  law  of  "Mormonism"  is  some- 
what revolutionary  aside  from  the  view  taken  of  plurality  of 
wives.  The  relation  of  the  sexes  is  sacred,  next  to  life 
itself,  and  will  never  be  regarded  as  a  low,  temporary,  hu- 
man make-shift,  when  the  ties  are  formed  by  the  authority 
of  the  priesthood. 

In  the  next  place,  it  is  by  reason  of  this  revelation,  and  not 
because  the  practice  was  legalized  by  the  Lord  in  ancient 
times,  that  the  "Mormons"  have  entered  into  this  order  of 
marriage — the  plurality  of  wives.  It  is  true  that  the  Saints 
have  frequently  referred  to  the  Old  Testament  as  sanction- 
ing this  doctrine,  but  they  have  done  so  merely  to  show  that, 
since  God  approved  the  practice  anciently,  it  cannot  be  wrong 
now,  notwithstanding  the  ideas  to  the  contrary  that  prevail 
today  in  civilized,  "Christian"  nations. 

Thirdly,  this  law  of  plural  marriage  is  not  obligatory  upon 


A  FLY  IN  THE  NATIONAL  OINTMENT  477 

the  members  of  the  Church  generally,  much  less  it  is  synon- 
ymous with  "Mormonism"  itself,  as  most  people  seem  to 
think.  On  the  contrary,  it  commands  only  one  person  to 
obey  it — Joseph  Smith ;  others  must  do  so  when  it  is  "re- 
vealed" to  them.  Nevertheless,  the  law  authorized  the  gen- 
eral practice  of  this  form  of  marriage,  under  the  regulations 
prescribed.  This  much  it  is  necessary  to  say,  in  view  of 
the  misinterpretations  put  upon  this  revelation  by  anti-"Mor- 
mons." 

"Mormon"  Plurality  of  Wives. 

To  most  people  the  word  "polygamy" — which  for  this  rea- 
son, the  Saints  disclaim  as  a  designation  of  their  marriage 
system — is  synonymous  with  unbridled  lust,  licentiousness, 
sensuality.  It  conjures  up  in  their  minds  all  the  evils  of  the 
oriental  harem — something  that  destroys  the  romance  of 
love,  that  strikes  at  the  sanctity  of  the  home,  that  degrades 
man  and  woman  to  the  level  of  the  beasts ;  and  so  on  to  the 
end  of  the  vocabulary  of  crime  and  degeneration  and  moral 
decay.  This  conception,  the  world,  hearing  the  term  used  in 
connection  with  ''Mormonism,"  have,  perhaps  naturally  and 
innocently  enough,  loaded  upon  this  religion ;  and  they  have 
been  encouraged  in  their  misapprehension  by  cunning  priest: 
and  political  demagogues,  who  have  had  a  private  motive  to 
serve  by  falsehood  and  deceit,  or  who,  to  view  the  matter 
more  charitably,  have  possessed  a  surplus  of  fanatical  energy 
which  they  have  woefully  misdirected.  The  unfortunate  re- 
sult has  been  a  general  ignorance  concerning  both  the  prac- 
tice and  the  motives  of  the  "Mormon"  people  in  this  respect. 
Magazine  articles,  books,  and  cartoons,  reeking  with  such 
impurity  and  filth  as  would  subject  the  authors  and  pub- 
lishers to  speedy  punishment  under  the  laws  regulating 
printed  matter  if  they  were  to  appear  in  any  other  cause, 
have  been  distributed  throughout  Europe  and  the  United 


478  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

States  as  accurate  representations  of  "Mormon"  polygamy — 
the  manner  of  selecting  wives,  the  domestic  relations,  and 
the  rest.  Most  of  these  are  too  shocking  to  be  more  than  al- 
luded to  in  any  work  having  the  remotest  claims  to  decency. 
Such,  however,  is  not  the  "Mormon"  idea  of  plural  mar- 
riage. It  is  true  that  much  could  be  pointed  out  in  the  prac- 
tice of  this  principle,  which  is  repulsive  to  a  cultivated  taste 
and  refinement — repulsive  to  the  natural  feelings  of  the 
heart.  Some  men  have,  no  doubt,  obeyed  this  law  with  no 
higher  object  than  self-gratification;  and  their  domestic  re- 
lations have  been  correspondingly  violative  of  the  general 
laws  that  should  control  the  holy  sacrament  of  marriage. 
This  much  any  "Mormon"  will  admit.  But  what  the  Saints 
have  always  objected  to  is  the  practice  of  holding  up  this 
phase  of  "polygamy,"  which  none  would  more  quickly  and 
thoroughly  condemn  than  the  "Mormons"  themselves,  as  the 
legitimate  fruits  of  plural  marriage  in  Utah,  and  of  deliber- 
ately suppressing  the  other  and  approved  side.  This  on  its 
face  is  dishonest,  and  yet  it  is  repeatedly  done  to  this  day. 
On  this  principle,  all  the  broken  vows,  the  wife-beating,  the 
desertions,  and  the  general  infelicities  of  monogamy  might 
be  pointed  to  as  the  proper  fruitage  of  marriage  with  a 
single  wife.  But  this,  as  everyone  must  concede,  would  be 
unjust.  The  fact  is,  that  unhappiness  in  the  marital  rela- 
tions is  the  result  of  the  individual  temper  and  passions  of 
the  men  and  women  who  enter  married  life,  not  of  the  prin- 
ciple of  marriage,  monogamic  or  polygamic.  Principles,  like 
men,  must  be  judged  by  their  highest  possibilities.  And 
viewed  in  this  light  plural  marriage  among  the  Saints  will 
bear  investigation. 

It  cannot  be  shown  that  "polygamy"  originated  in  a  low 
impulse.  On  the  contrary,  an  examination  of  the  facts  con- 
nected with  its  introduction  reveals  the  purest  and  highest 
motive,  connected  with  no  small  degree  of  courage  and  hero- 


A  FLY  IN  THE  NATIONAL  OINTMENT  479 

ism.  We  have  already  seen  that  the  Prophet  kept  the  secret 
locked  in  his  bosom  for  more  than  ten  years.  He  clearly 
foresaw  the  result  of  his  revelation  upon  the  strong  and  fixed 
prejudices  of  the  age,  and  delayed  it  as  long  as  he  could 
without  danger  to  his  prophetic  claims.  And  when  he  did 
make  it  known,  all  who  had  not  been  specially  prepared  for 
its  reception  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  were  shocked  inexpressibly 
by  his  words.  This  is  true  of  both  men  and  women,  and 
shows  that  the  class  of  people  whom  he  had  collected  to- 
gether had  no  such  loose  ideas  of  morality  as  their  enemies 
have  charged  them  with  holding.  The  majority  of  them 
were  strong,  independent  spirits,  who  must  be  convinced  both 
in  mind  and  heart  that  a  doctrine  was  true,  before  they 
would  accept  it,  and  who  after  they  did  receive  it  would  re- 
fuse to  relinquish  it  no  matter  at  what  cost  to  themselves. 

Of  the  conduct  of  two  or  three  of  those  who  were  ap- 
proached on  the  subject  by  Joseph,  we  have  a  record.  Ben- 
jamin F.  Johnson  says  that  he  was  greatly  shocked  when 
the  Prophet  disclosed  the  matter  to  him  during  a  private 
walk.  "I  sincerely  believed  him,"  he  says,  "to  be  a  Prophet 
of  God,  and  I  loved  him  as  such,  and  also  for  the  many 
evidences  of  his  kindness  to  me ;  yet  such  was  the  force  of 
my  education,  and  the  scorn  that  I  felt  towards  anything 
unvirtuous,  that  under  the  first  impulse  of  my  feelings,  I 
looked  him  calmly,  but  firmly  in  the  face  and  told  him  that 
I  had  always  believed  him  to  be  a  good  man  and  wished  to 
believe  it  still  and  would  try  to,  and  that  I  would  take  for 
him  a  message  to  my  sister  [Joseph  had  asked  for  her  hand 
in  marriage],  and  if  the  doctrine  was  true,  all  would  be  well, 
but  if  I  should  afterwards  learn  that  it  was  offered  to  insult 
or  prostitute  my  sister,  I  would  take  his  life."  He  was  con- 
vinced afterwards,  by  a  divine  manifestation,  that  the  prin- 
ciple was  true. 

Apostle  John  Taylor  says  with  regard  to  the  time  when  the 


480  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

matter  was  laid  before  the  Twelve:  "I  had  always  enter- 
tained strict  ideas  of  virtue,  and  I  felt  as  a  married  man  that 
this  was  to  me,  outside  of  this  principle,  an  appalling  thing 
to  do.  The  idea  of  going  and  asking  a  young  lady  to  be  mar- 
ried to  me  when  I  had  already  a  wife !  It  was  a  thing  calcu- 
lated to  stir  up  feelings  from  the  innermost  depths  of  the 
human  soul.  Nothing  but  a  knowledge  of  God,  and  the  rev- 
elations of  God,  and  the  truth  of  them,  could  have  induced 
me  to  embrace  such  a  principle  as  this."  And  he  and  the  rest 
of  the  apostles  put  off  the  "evil  day"  as  long  as  they  could. 

Heber  C.  Kimball  was  requested  three  times  by  the  Proph- 
et "to  go  and  take  a  certain  woman  as  his  wife,"  but  he  did 
not  obey  till  he  was  commanded  to  do  so  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord.  "My  father  realized  the  situation  fully,"  says  his 
daughter  Helen  Mar,  "and  the  love  and  reverence  he  bore  for 
the  Prophet  were  so  great  that  he  would  sooner  have  laid 
down  his  life  than  have  betrayed  him.  This  was  one  of  the 
greatest  tests  of  his  faith  he  had  ever  experienced  .... 
He  became  sick  in  body,  but  his  mental  wretchedness  was 
too  great  to  allow  of  his  retiring,  and  he  would  walk  the 
floor  till  nearly  morning  and  sometimes  the  agony  of  his 
mind  was  so  terrible  that  he  would  wring  his  hands  and 
weep  like  a  child,  and  beseech  the  Lord  to  be  merciful." 

No ;  there  is  nothing  more  groundless  than  the  supposition 
that  this  doctrine  of  plural  marriage  originated  in  a  low  mo- 
tive. With  the  great  majority  of  those  who  embraced  this 
doctrine,  it  was  a  sacred  religious  obligation,  which,  though 
it  would  inevitably  bring  down  upon  them  the  wrath  and 
opposition  of  the  world,  must  be  sacredly  observed. 

And  this  motive  resulted  in  a  practice  as  far  removed 
from  the  conceptions  of  the  average  non-" Mormon"  as  the 
poles  are  asunder.  The  consent  of  the  first  wife  was  sought, 
and  in  most  cases  obtained,  before  the  second  ceremony  was 
performed.     Indeed,  many  instances  might  be  pointed  out 


A  FLY  IN  THE  NATIONAL  OINTMENT  481 

where  the  first  wife  made  all  the  necessary  preliminary  ar- 
rangements with  the  woman  whom  she  wished  to  become  her 
co -helpmate.  In  some  cases,  the  wives  occupied  different 
houses,  and  the  husband's  time  would  be  divided  equally  be- 
tween the  two  homes ;  in  others,  they  would  live  in  the  same 
house.  Theoretically  the  wives  were  equal ;  no  social  stigma 
was  attached  to  the  plural  wife  or  her  children ;  she  mingled 
as  freely  as  the  first  in  society,  and  no  distinction  was  made 
between  their  children.  Lorenzo  Snow,  at  Nauvoo,  married 
four  wives  with  the  understanding  that  they  were  all  equal, 
and  that  he  might  acknowledge  any  one  of  them  publicly 
should  circumstances  enable  him  to  do  so.  That  there  arose 
jealousies  and  misunderstandings  in  some  polygamic  families 
is  very  likely  true,  but  the  good  Latter-day  Saint  sought 
most  earnestly  and  prayerfully  to  do  right  in  the  matter.  But 
the  average  "polygamous"  family  in  general  was  as  free  from 
jars  and  disquieting  troubles  as  the  average  monogamic  fam- 
ily, and  had  as  much  genuine  happiness  within  its  precincts. 
The  cost  of  living,  of  course,  was  increased  proportionately 
to  the  number  of  wives ;  but,  generally  speaking,  no  one  em- 
braced this  principle  without  knowing  beforehand  that  he 
could  afford  it.  At  most  only  three  or  four  per  cent  of  the 
male  membership  of  the  Church  ever  embraced  this  order  at 
any  time.  But  some  of  these  had  more  than  two  wives.  This 
matter  of  increased  expense  attached  to  having  more  than 
one  family  at  a  time,  also  speaks  forcibly  against  the  state- 
ment that  sensualism  was  the  inspiring  motive  of  the  system. 
How  perfectly  insane  would  be  this  method  of  marriage  on 
the  hypothesis  that  "Mormon"  polvgamists  were  licentious. 
Immorality  would  have  sought  an  easier  method  to  gratify 
its  appetite — that,  namely,  followed  by  the  world  in  general. 

Legal  Enactments. 

Nevertheless,  "polygamy,"  as  we  shall  frequently  have  occa- 


482  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

sion  to  note,  was  to  be  made  the  pretext*  for  a  long  and  bit- 
ter fight  against  the  adherents  of  the  "Mormon"  faith.  For 
many  years — from  the  time  in  fact,  of  its  first  public  an- 
nouncement in  1852  to  the  present — a  secret  clique  of  un- 
scrupulous anti-"Mormons"  in  Utah,  by  the  most  infamous 
methods  were  to  play  upon  the  religious  and  political  preju- 
dices of  the  Nation,  till  Congress  was  induced  to  pass  law 
after  law  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  this  doctrine  of  plural 
marriage  to  an  end,  if  not  to  accomplish  the  destruction  of 
the  "Mormon"  Church. 

The  first  of  these  was  the  law  of  1862.  It  provided  that 
"every  person  having  a  husband  or  wife  living,  who  shall 
marry  any  other  person,  whether  married  or  single,  in  a  Ter- 
ritory of  the  United  States,  or  other  place  over  which  the 
United  States  have  exclusive  jurisdiction,  shall  ...  be 
adjudged  guilty  of  bigamy,  and,  upon  conviction  thereof, 
shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  not  exceeding  five  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  by  imprisonment  for  a  term  not  exceeding  five 
years."  Another  section  disincorporated  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  and  made  it  unlawful  for  any 
"association  for  religious  or  charitable  purposes  to  acquire 
or  hold  real  estate"  to  the  extent  of  more  than  fifty  thousand 
dollars.  But  the  law  remained  a  dead  letter  on  the  national 
statute  books  for  twenty  years.  President  Young  was  ar- 
rested in  the  following  year,  but  not  convicted,  for  lack  of 
evidence.  It  is  curious,  but  somewhat  edifying,  to  note  that 
while  the  provisions  for  disincorporating  the  Church  was  un- 
der discussion,  one  United  States  senator  objected  to  reduc- 
ing the  amount  of  property  that  a  charitable  or  religious  or- 
ganization might  hold  from  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  to 


*I  let  this  word  stand.  "Mormonism"  was  violently  opposed 
before  "polygamy"  was  ever  taught.  It  is  opposed  now  that  the 
practice  has  been  abandoned.  Pretext  for  opposition  to  the 
Church  will  never  be  lacking  by  "Mormonism's"  enemies. 


A  FLY  IN  THE  NATIONAL  OINTMENT  483 

fifty  thousand  dollars,  until  it  could  be  ascertained  whether 
this  would  affect  the  interests  of  the  Catholic  Missions  in 
California !  And,  singularly  enough,  its  passage  was  post- 
poned till  he  could  satisfy  himself  on  the  point. 

It  should  be  stated  here  that  the  Saints  always  regarded 
this  law  as  unconstitutional ;  and  many  of  the  leading  breth- 
ren were  anxious  to  have  it  tested,  believing  that  the  courts 
would  so  decide.  Accordingly,  in  1875,  a  test  case  was  fur- 
nished in  the  person  of  Elder  George  Reynolds,  who  was 
then  a  young  man  of  thirty-two  years.  Having  married  his 
second  wife  in  1874,  his  case  came,  clearly  enough,  under 
the  law.  The  trial,  at  which  he  supplied  all  the  evidence 
necessary  for  his  conviction,  resulted  in  his  being  sentenced 
to  a  fine  of  five  hundred  dollars,  and  imprisonment  for  two 
years  at  hard  labor.  In  November,  1879,  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States  reaffirmed  the  decisions  of  the  inferior 
courts,  thus  declaring  the  law  of  1862  constitutional. 

In  the  Congressional  session  of  1869-70,  an  anti-"polyg- 
amy"  bill  was  introduced  into  the  national  legislature,  which, 
though  it  never  became  law,  created  a  great  sensation  in 
Utah,  by  reason  of  its  outrageous  provisions.  One  section, 
for  instance,  gave  the  Governor  the  sole  power  to  appoint  all 
the  officers  of  the  Territory;  another  abolished  trial  by  jury 
in  certain  cases ;  and  a  third  demanded  that  the  President  of 
the  Church  make  detailed  reports  to  the  Governor,  of  all  the 
Church  receipts  and  disbursements.  It  should  be  said,  how- 
ever, that  a  number  of  modifications  were  made  before  it  was 
finally  voted  down.  But  the  effect  on  the  Saints  was  start- 
ling, as  it  revealed  to  them,  in  part,  the  animus  that  ultimate- 
ly secured  laws  only  a  degree  less  harsh  than  this  proposed 
measure.  "In  reading  this  bill,"  said  the  editor  of  the  Des- 
eret  News — George  O.  Cannon — "indignation  overmasters 
every  other  feeling.  We  examine  our  skins,  they  are  white. 
We  look  at  the  people  around  us,  their  lineaments  proclaim 


484  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

their  Anglo-Saxon  descent.  We  listen  to  their  speech — it  is 
the  language  of  freedom,  the  language  in  which  Shake- 
speare, Milton,  and  Thomas  Jefferson  wrote — the  language 
in  which  Patrick  Henry,  Adams,  Lee,  and  a  host  of  other 
patriots  clothed  their  immortal  ideas.  We  look  at  our  moun- 
tains ;  though  their  summits  are  covered  with  eternal  snow, 
they  are  not  Siberia.  The  valleys  they  encircle  are  the 
abodes  of  a  free  people — American  citizens,  many  of  whose 
fathers  fought  and  died  for  liberty,  and  taught  their  sons  its 
accents — not  serfs  whose  lives  and  fortunes  are  at  the  dis- 
posal of  an  autocrat."  But  fortunately  the  bill  did  not  be- 
come a  law. 

One  other  measure  we  shall  merely  refer  to  in  this  place 
■ — the  Edmonds-Tucker  Act — which  we  shall  consider  in  de- 
tail in  another  chapter.  The  Edmonds  bill  became  a  law  in 
1882,  which,  though  immeasurably  harsh,  was  reinforced, 
in  1887,  by  a  more  exacting  act,  the  Edmonds-Tucker  law. 
But  the  Saints,  viewing  these  as  violative  of  the  fundamen- 
tal provisions  of  the  national  Constitution  respecting  the 
freedom  of  conscience,  suffered  heroically  till  1890,  when 
their  own  action  turned  the  tide  of  their  afflictions. 

In  the  last  named  year  President  Wilford  Woodruff  is- 
sued his  so-called  "Manifesto,"  which  was  sustained  by  the 
whole  body  of  Latter-day  Saints.  After  denying  certain 
charges  to  the  effect  that  plural  marriages  were  still  being 
solemnized  by  the  Church,  the  Declaration  went  on  to  say 
that  "inasmuch  as  laws  have  been  enacted  by  Congress  for- 
bidding plural  marriages,  which  laws  have  been  pronounced 
constitutional  by  the  court  of  the  last  resort,  I  [Wilford 
Woodruff]  hereby  declare  my  intention  to  submit  to  those 
laws,  and  to  use  my  influence  with  the  members  of  the 
Church  over  which  I  preside  to  do  likewise."  This  brought 
"polygamy"  to  an  end  among  the  "Mormons,"  so  far  as  the 
formation  of  new  ties  in  plural  marriage  was  concerned. 


CHAPTER  IV 


A   LONG  WAIT  FOR  THE  CROWN 


The  first  form  of  government  in  Utah  was  what  may  be 
termed  the  theocratic,  followed  by  the  short-lived  provisional 
State  of  Deseret,  which  was  succeeded  by  the  Territory, 
which,  in  turn,  finally  gave  way  to  Statehood.  This  last 
honor  was  denied  Utah  on  account  of  her  peculiar  religion, 
or,  more  specifically,  the  unusual  domestic  relations  of  her 
people. 

The  State  of  Deseret. 

From  July  24th,  1847,  to  March,  1849,  the  people  were 
under  ecclesiastical  control.  The  entire  population  of  Salt 
I^ake  Valley  and  of  other  places  where  settlements  had  been 
made,  was  "Mormon,"  with  the  exception  of  a  very  few 
persons  who  had  come  with  relatives  belonging  to  the 
Church.  Moreover,  the  first  work  of  the  people,  as  we  have 
seen,  was  to  wrest  a  subsistence  from  the  soil.  Besides, 
everyone  was  looked  after  as  well  as,  if  not  better  than,  he 
could  have  been  under  a  civil  government ;  and  since  the 
prevailing  ecclesiastical  control  was  obnoxious  to  no  one, 
there  was  no  immediate  call  for  a  change.  If  any  difficulty 
arose,  it  was  settled  in  the  bishop's  court,  the  high  council, 
or  by  the  First  Presidency.  No  distinction  appears  to  have 
been  drawn  between  the  spiritual  and  the  temporal  juris- 
•  diction  of  these  authorities. 

When  the  gold  fields  of  California  increased  the  pro- 
portion of  Gentiles,  though  this  was  more  or  less  temporary, 
it  was  found  desirable  to  segregate  the  civil  from  the  re- 
ligious.   Accordingly,  on  the  8th  of  March,  1849,  a  conven- 


486  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

tion  was  held,  at  which  a  constitution  for  the  proposed  State 
of  Deseret  was  formed.  The  customary  division  of  govern- 
mental powers  into  legislative,  executive,  and  judicial,  was 
followed.  The  seat  of  the  new  government  was  to  be  Salt 
Lake  City.  There  were  to  be  two  houses  of  the  legislature, 
a  senate  and  a  house  of  representatives,  with  an  annual  ses- 
sion on  the  first  Monday  in  December.  There  were  to  be  a 
governor,  a  lieutenant-governor,  a  secretary  of  state  an  au- 
ditor, and  a  treasurer.  The  first  two  were  to  be  elected  for 
four  years,  the  second  officer  to  be  the  ex-ofUcio  president  of 
the  senate.  The  judicial  powers  were  to  be  vested  in  a  su- 
preme court  with  such  other  inferior  tribunals  as  might  be 
established  by  the  legislature. 

On  the  12th  of  this  month  the  following  ticket  was  elected 
under  the  new  Provisional  Government  of  the  State  of 
Deseret:  Governor,  Brigham  Young;  secretary,  Willard 
Richards;  treasurer,  Newel  K.  Whitney;  chief  justice,  He- 
ber  C.  Kimball;  associate  justices,  John  Taylor  and  Newel 
K.  Whitney;  attorney  general,  Daniel  H.  Wells;  marshal, 
Horace  S.  Eldredge ;  assessor  and  collector,  Albert  Carring- 
ton ;  surveyor  of  highways,  Joseph  L.  Heywood.  The  bish- 
ops of  the  wards  were  chosen  magistrates. 

In  July  following  a  special  session  of  the  legislature  was 
called.  Almon  W.  Babbit  was  chosen  Delegate  to  Congress, 
for  it  had  been  decided  to  petition  the  national  legislature  to 
admit  the  new  State  into  the  Union.  He  carried  with  him  to 
Washington  a  memorial  asking  for  admission,  and  also  for 
Congressional  recognition  of  himself  as  delegate.  But  when 
these  matters  were  presented  to  the  lawmakers  at  the  Capi- 
tal, they  were  unable  to  see  them  in  the  same  light.  A  com- 
mittee to  which  the  memorial  was  referred  reported  that  it 
would  be  inexpedient  to  grant  it,  for  the  reason,  among 
others,  that  "the  memoralist  comes  as  the  representative  of  a 
State ;  but  of  a  State  not  of  the  Union,  and  therefore  not  en- 


A  LONG  WAIT  FOR  THE  CROWN  487 

titled  to  a  representation  here;  the  admission  of  Mr.  Babbit 
would  be  a  quasi  recognition  of  the  legal  existence  of  the 
State  of  Deseret ;  and  no  act  should  be  done  by  this  house 
which,  even  by  implication,  may  give  force  and  vitality  to  a 
political  organization  extra-constitutional,  and  independent 
of  the  laws  of  the  United  States."  But  seeing  the  need  of 
some  form  of  government  for  the  "Mormons,"  the  Wash- 
ington authorities  began  considering  the  advisability  of  a 
territorial  organization,  which  was  soon  effected. 

A  Territorial  Blight. 

In  September,  1850,  after  several  months'  delay,  the  Senate 
passed  a  bill  providing  for  the  organization  of  the  Territory 
of  Utah.  The  new  officials  were:  Governor,  Brigham 
Young;  secretary,  B.  D.  Harris,  of  Vermont;  chief  justice, 
Lemuel  G.  Brandebury,  of  Pennsylvania;  associate  justices, 
Perry  C.  Brocchus,  of  Alabama,  and  Zerubbabel  Snow ;  at- 
torney, Seth  M.  Blair ;  and  marshal,  Joseph  L.  Heywood. 
Of  these — besides  the  Governor — Blair,  Heywood,  and 
Snow  were  "Mormons."  News  of  the  creation  of  the  new 
government  did  not  reach  Deseret  till  January,  1851.  In 
April  of  that  year  the  change  went  into  effect.  The  popu- 
lation of  the  territory  was  ascertained  as  eleven  thousand 
three  hundred  fifty-four.  In  August,  Dr.  John  M.  Bern- 
hisel,  a  man  of  good  education  and  general  culture,  was 
elected  Delegate  to  Congress. 

Some  time  in  July,  of  this  year,  the  Federal  officials 
came ;  and  here  began  the  friction  between  "Mormons"  and 
Gentiles  in  Utah,  which  was  to  continue  for  many  years. 
They  were  well  received  by  the  people,  a  ball  and  supper 
t>eing  given  in  honor  of  Justice  Brandebury  and  Secretary 
Harris,  who  were  the  first  to  arrive.  The  latter  brought 
with  him  forty-four  thousand  dollars  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  the  legislature  and  to  erect  a  public  building.    "Had  they 


488  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

been  men  of  ability  and  discretion,"  remarks  Bancroft  in  his 
History  of  Utah,  "content  to  discharge  this  duty  without 
interfering  with  the  social  and  religious  peculiarities  of  the 
people,  all  would  have  been  well ;  but  such  was  not  their 
character  or  policy.  Judge  Brocchus  especially  was  a  vain 
and  ambitious  man,  full  of  self-importance,  fond  of  intrigue, 
corrupt,  revengeful,  hypocritical." 

Soon,  however,  Brocchus  announced  his  determination  to 
return  to  the  East.  The  probable  cause  of  his  discontent  was 
that  Dr.  Bernhisel  has  obtained  the  plum — the  Congressional 
office — which  he  coveted  for  himself.  The  others,  too,  in- 
fluenced by  the  Judge,  became  dissatisfied.  They  could  not 
live,  they  hinted,  on  such  a  small  salary  as  they  were  receiv- 
ing. A  petition,  numerously  signed  and  including  Brigham 
Young's  name,  was  forthwith  hastened  to  Washington  ask- 
ing that  the  salaries  of  these  men  be  increased.  Still  they 
were  disgruntled,  especially  Brocchus.  Before  leaving,  he 
secured  the  privilege  of  addressing  the  "Mormons"  at  a  gen- 
eral conference,  on  a  matter  pertaining  to  the  Washington 
Monument  Fund.  "It  is  a  religious  meeting,"  said  Presi- 
dent Young,  "I  suppose  you  are  aware ;  but  I  wish  well  to 
your  cause."  At  the  conference,  which  was  that  year  held  in 
September,  Judge  Brocchus  was  "respectfully  and  honorably 
introduced,"  as  he  himself  confessed,  by  President  Young. 
He  touched  a  variety  of  topics — sorrow  for  the  past  "Mor- 
mon" calamities ;  his  own  virtues  and  high  qualifications  for 
office ;  Revolutionary  and  other  heroes,  among  whom  he  in- 
cluded Zachary  Taylor,  deceased,  whom  President  Young, 
he  complained,  had  announced  to  be  now  an  inhabitant  of 
Tophet;  the  disqualifications  of  Governor  Young  for  his 
office ;  the  need  of  party  division  in  Utah ;  and  many  others. 
The  patience  of  his  audience  giving  out  toward  the  end,  he. 
fell  to  berating  them.  "The  Mormons  were  disloyal" — 
which  remark  was  met  bv  hisses  from  the  female  part  of  his. 


A  LONG  WAIT  FOR  THE  CROWN  489 

congregation.  "This  reminds  me,"  he  said,  addressing  the 
ladies,  "that  I  have  a  commission  from  the  Washington 
Monument  Association  to  ask  of  you  a  block  of  marble  as 
the  test  of  your  loyalty  to  the  government  of  the  United 
States.  But  in  order  for  you  to  do  it  acceptably,  you  must 
become  virtuous,  and  teach  your  daughters  to  become  virtu- 
ous, or  your  offering  had  better  remain  in  the  bosom  of  your 
native  mountains." 

"A  spontaneous  outburst  of  public  indignation"  was  the 
result,  and  the  speaker  was  unable  to  make  himself  heard. 
The  people,  rising,  cried  for  President  Young,  who  there- 
upon took  the  stand,  and  made  a  reply  in  his  characteristic, 
straightforward  manner.  But  for  the  man's  office,  he  said, 
he  would  not  consider  him  worth  answering.  "You  stand 
there  now,"  he  went  on,  "white  and  shaking,  at  the  hornet's 
nest  you  have  stirred  up — you  are  a  coward,  and  that  is  why 
you  have  cause  to  praise  men  that  are  not  and  why  you 
praise  Zachary  Taylor."  He  repeated  his  assertion  that 
Taylor  was  in  Hades,  whereupon  Brocchus  jumped  up  pro- 
testing angrily.  But  Heber  C.  Kimball,  touching  him  lightly 
on  the  shoulder,  told  him  he  need  have  no  doubt  about  it,  as 
he  would  see  when  he  got  there !  "You  talk  of  things  you 
have  on  hearsay,"  Brigham  went  on.  "I'll  talk  of  hearsay 
then — the  hearsay  that  you  are  discontented,  and  will  go 
home,  because  we  cannot  make  it  worth  your  while  to  stay. 
What  it  would  satisfy  you  to  get  out  of  us,  I  think  it  would 
be  hard  to  tell ;  but  I  am  sure  it  is  more  than  you'll  get.  Go 
home  to  mammy,  straightway,  and  the  sooner  the  better." 

After  this,  Brocchus  was  given  an  opportunity  to  apolo- 
gize, but  he  declared  that  he  said  what  he  intended  to  say, 
though  he  "designed  to  offer  no  insult"  to  his  audience !  His 
speech,  he  said,  "in  all  its  parts,  was  the  result  of  deliberation 
and  care — not  proceeding  from  a  heated  imagination,  or  a 
maddened  impulse,  as  seems  to  have  been  the  general  im- 


490  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

pression."  But  he  did  not  apologize  because  of  the  admitted 
impossibility  of  smoothing  matters  over;  though  he  subse- 
quently asked  the  Governor  to  do  so  for  him.  Not  long 
afterwards,  he  and  his  discontented  colleagues  left  for  Wash- 
ington, Harris  taking  the  forty-four  thousand  dollars  with 
him.  For  a  long  time  afterwards  these  men  were  called  "the 
runaways,"  the  "Mormon"  poetess  embalming  their  memory 
in  the  following  stanza : 

"Though  Brocchus,  Day  and  Brandebury, 

And  Harris,  too,  the  Secretary, 

Have  gone — they  went !    But  when  they  left  us, 

They  only  of  themselves  bereft  us." 
Their  tale  of  woe,  however,  received  no  sympathy  at 
Washington,  though  they  won  the  popular  applause.  Dan- 
iel Webster,  the  Secretary  of  State,  ordered  them  back  to 
"fceir  posts ;  but  the  chagrin  and  humiliation  involved  in 
doing  so  would  be  greater  than  they  could  bear ;  and  so  they 
resigned.  Brandebury  was  succeeded  by  Lazarus  H.  Reed, 
of  New  York;  Brocchus,  by  Leonidas  Shaver;  and  Harris, 
by  Benjamin  G.  Ferris.  When  the  full  story  of  the  "run- 
aways" became  known  generally,  which  it  did  in  a  pamphlet 
over  the  signature  of  Jedediah  M.  Grant,  they  were  over~ 
whelmed  by  public  ridicule  for  the  part  they  had  played. 

The  new  officers  arrived  in  the  summer  and  autumn  of 
1853.  Like  their  predecessors,  they  were  well  received. 
Judge  Reed,  in  a  letter  written  shortly  after  his  arrival,  gave 
his  impressions  of  the  Governor.  "He  has  taken  pains  to 
make  my  residence  here  agreeable,"  he  said,  among  other 
things.  "The  Governor,  in  manner  and  conversation,  is  a 
polished  gentlemen,  very  neat  and  tasty  in  dress,  easy  and 
pleasant  in  conversation,  and  I  think,  a  man  of  decided  talent 
and  strong  intellectual  qualities.  He  is  a  very  excellent 
speaker ;  his  gesture  uncommonly  graceful,  articulation  dis- 
tinct, and  speech  pleasant.    I  have  made  up  my  mind  that  no 


A  LONG  WAIT  FOR  THE  CROWN  491 

man  has  been  more  grossly  misrepresented  than  Governor 
Young,  and  that  he  is  a  man  who  will  reciprocate  kindness 
and  good  intentions  as  heartily  and  as  freely  as  any  one,  but 
if  abused,  or  crowded  hard,  I  think  he  may  be  found  ex- 
ceedingly hard  to  handle."  Judge  Shaver  was  similarly  im- 
pressed. But  Secretary  Ferris,  after  six  months'  residence 
here,  concluded  that  he  had  had  enough  of  the  "Mormons" 
and  abruptly  left  the  Territory.  Both  he  and  his  wife  after- 
wards wrote  books  against  the  Saints. 

In  1854  Governor  Young's  term  of  office  expired,  and 
through  the  influence  of  Colonel  E.  J.  Steptoe  he  was  re- 
appointed. The  following  year  saw  the  deaths  of  Judges 
Reed  and  Shaver,  the  former  passing  away  at  his  home  in 
New  York,  the  latter  in  Salt  Lake,  having  been  found  dead 
in  his  chamber  on  the  morning  of  June  29th.  Both  of  these 
men  were  respected  and  loved  by  the  "Mormon"  people,  and 
their  demise  was  sincerely  regretted.  Judge  Kinney  suc- 
ceeded to  Reed's  office  and  Judge  Drummond  to  that  of 
Shaver. 

In  1862,  Utah  made  another  attempt  to  get  into  the 
Union.  A  convention  was  held  at  Salt  Lake  City,  and  Wil- 
liam H.  Hooper  and  George  Q.  Cannon  were  sent  to  Wash- 
ington. But  both  houses  of  the  national  legislature  were 
controlled  by  a  party  that  had  pledged  itself  to  extirpate  the 
"twin  relics  of  barbarism" — slavery  and  polygamy ;  hence 
the  "Mormons"  were  answered  by  a  law  against  their  pecu- 
liar marriage  system.  In  January,  1867,  another  attempt  to 
obtain  Statehood  was  made,  but  with  no  better  success. 

And  so  we  come  to  the  year  1870  in  Utah  affairs.  Mean- 
time, a  great  many  changes  had  occurred.  Thousands  of 
Saints  had  come  here  from  England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  and 
Wales,  Denmark,  Sweden,  Norway,  and  other  European 
countries.  The  various  States  of  the  Union  also  had  sent  out 
their  quota.    A  telegraph  line  and  a  railway — the  Union  Pa- 


492  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

cific — had  been  established  between  here  and  the  East. 
Some  of  the  great  mines  of  the  Territory  had  begun  to  put 
forth  their  mineral  wealth.  And  many  Gentiles  had  taken 
up  their  abode  among  the  "Mormons"  mainly  for  commercial 
reasons.  Thus  the  Territory  was  growing  constantly  in  im- 
portance and  population,  and  would  have  secured  Statehood 
but  for  incidents  which  we  have  now  to  relate. 

The  year  1870  gave  rise  to  what  was  called  the  Liberal 
Party  of  Utah.  Ostensibly  it  was  a  political  organization, 
but  in  reality  it  transcended  these  bounds,  and  assumed  to 
regulate  the  affairs  of  the  Church.  Hitherto,  there  had  been 
no  party  lines,  unless  the  solid  phalanx  of  the  "Mormons" 
might  have  been  called  a  party — the  "People's  Party" — 
which  was  the  case  as  soon  as  the  "Liberals"  came  into  ex- 
istence as  an  organization.  But  from  that  time  on  Utah  was 
to  have  such  party  battles  as  had  never  been  known  in  any 
other  State. 

Its  origin  was  peculiar.  Judge  Brocchus,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, advised  the  Saints'  to  divide  on  party  lines,  for  rea- 
sons which  any  one  might  have  easily  seen.  No  doubt  the 
few  Gentiles  and  disgruntled  "Mormons"  then  in  the  Ter- 
ritory heartily  wished  this  gratuitous  counsel  adopted.  But 
there  were  not  yet  enough  to  make  a  respectable  following. 
General  Conner,  who,  in  1862,  had  been  sent  here  with 
troops  from  California  and  Nevada  to  overawe  the  "Mor- 
mons" from  their  station  at  Camp  Douglas,  lent  such  en- 
couragement to  the  idea  as  to  merit  the  unenviable  reputa- 
tion of  being  the  "Father  of  the  Liberal  Party."  Later,  some 
frightful  murders,  including  the  Mountain  Meadows  mas- 
sacre,* which,  like  everything  else  that  was  disagreeable, 


*This  wretched  affair  is  not  discussed  here,  because,  strictly 
speaking,  it  is  not  a  part  of  "Mormon"  history.  The  reader  who 
wishes  a  full  account  of  the  Mountain  Meadows  Massacre,  should 
read  the  pamphlet  under  this  title  by  Chas.  W.  Penrose,  which 
may  be  obtained  at  the  Deseret  S.  S.  Union  Book  Store,  Salt 
Lake  City. 


A  LONG  WAIT  FOR  THE  CROWN  493 

were  laid  at  the  door  of  the  Church,  was  made  a  pretext  to 
solidify  the  elements  of  discontent.    Then  came  a  policy  of 
the  "Mormon"  authorities,  the  creation  and  encouragement 
of  co-operative  mercantile  institutions,  which  threatened  to 
take  much  of  the  trade  out  of  the  hands  of  Gentile  mer- 
chants.   But  the  direct  occasion  for  the  organization  of  the 
party  was  the  Godbeite  movement.    Towards  the  latter  part 
of  1869,  a  group  of  really  talented  men— including  Wm.  S. 
Godbe,  T.  B.  H.  Stenhouse,  Edward  Tullidge,  Henry  W. 
Lawrence,   E.  L.  T.   Harrison,  and  a  few  others  of  less 
prominence — "outgrew  Mormonism,"  and  so  left  the  Church. 
They  had  supposed  from  the  respect  which  they  formerly 
commanded  that  their  disaffection  would  create  a  rupture  in 
the  Church,  which  opinion  the  Gentiles  also  entertained,  both 
here  and  elsewhere.    And  on  the  strength  of  this  unfounded 
conjecture  the  "Liberal"  Party  was  formed.    But  their  hopes 
of  a  following  proved  delusive ;  few  of  the  Saints  paid  much 
attention  either  to  the  apostasy  of  these  men,  or  to  their  sub- 
sequent opposition. 

If  the  origin  of  this  party  was  remarkable,  its  composi- 
tion was,  and  has  been,  much  more  so.  Speaking  in  general 
of  the  "Liberal"  Party  in  Utah,  its  membership  has  been 
made  up  entirely  of  Gentiles  and  apostates  from  the  "Mor- 
mon" Church.  It  has  been,  in  other  words,  an  anti-"Mor- 
mon"  organization,  ostensibly  and  really.  And  a  motley  ag- 
gregation of  "regulators"  and  "reformers"  it  has  been! 
j  There  were  those  who  from  the  beginning  of  their  Utah 
career  were  bitter,  unprincipled,  and  unrelenting  in  their  op- 
position to  anything  "Mormon,"  good  as  well  as  bad;  whose 
sole  purpose  was  to  overthrow  "Mormonism,"  to  pull  it  up 
root  and  branch.  Then  there  were  men  in  the  party  who 
saw  nothing  objectionable  in  "Mormonism"  except  polyg- 
amy, who  thought  it  best  not  to  interfere  with  other  people's 
affairs,  domestic,  religious,  or  political,  who,  therefore,  en- 
tertained the  friendliest  feelings  for  the  Saints  and  respect 


494  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

for  their  religion,  but  who  were  whipped  into  line  by  that 
cat  o'  nine  tails — the  word  "Jack  Mormon,"  a  term  used 
chiefly  to  designate  the  class  of  people  who  are  neither 
"Mormons"  nor  anti-"Mormons."  And  between  these  two 
degrees  there  was  an  almost  infinite  variety,  from  the  man 
whose  affections  had  been  slighted  by  a  "Mormon"  girl,  to 
the  one  who  sincerely  wished  "the  whole  tribe"  of  Saints  in 
Hades.  It  may  be  added  that  there  were  almost  as  many 
aims  in  the  party  as  there  were  distinct  individuals.  Some 
objected  only  to  plural  marriage.  Those  perhaps  were 
mostly  sincere.  Others  found  fault  with  the  obedience  of  the 
"Mormon"  people  to  the  priesthood ;  in  other  words,  their 
unity  in  all  things,  temporal  and  spiritual.  But  these  persons 
did  not  object  to  unity  in  general,  only  to  unity  in  the  "Mor- 
mons." Others  still,  as  stated,  would  annihilate  everything 
that  bore  the  name  "Mormon,"  good  and  bad  alike.  These 
were  usually  preachers  or  those  excessively  sanctimonious. 
Strangest  of  all,  however,  have  been  the  methods  of  this 
"Liberal"  Party  to  attain  these  numerous  ends.  For  many 
years  it  took  the  form  of  a  conspiracy,  and  its  movements 
were  in  perfect  harmony  with  its  character.  Its  organ  was 
the  Tribune  which,  everyone  knows,  has  at  times  fairly 
seethed  with  falsehood  and  indecency.  Then,  too,  the  local 
agency  of  the  Associated  Press  has  always  been  in  its  hands. 
In  addition  to  this,  some  of  the  Governors  of  the  Territory 
and  most  of  the  Federal  officials  were  members  of  the  league 
against  Utah.  With  all  this  power  in  their  hands  and  the 
word  "polygamy"  constantly  on  their  lips  as  the  war-cry,  it 
can  easily  be  seen  what  harm  the  Party  might  do,  and  did  do, 
to  Utah  and  her  people.  And  this  power  was  wielded  in  the 
most  conscienceless  manner.  Despatches,  letters,  private  and 
public,  magazine  articles,  and  books  were  sent  East  to  create 
the  impression  that  "polygamy"  and  "Mormonsim"  were 
synonymous  terms,  that  the  life  and  property  of  Gentiles 
were  unsafe  in  Utah,  that  there  was  no  respect  for  law  and 


A  LONG  WAIT  FOR  THE  CROWN  495 

order  in  the  Territory,  except  among  the  Gentiles,  and  that 
there  were  constant  uprisings  among  the  "Mormons"  against 
the  government  of  the  United  States.  If  any  crime  was 
committed,  such,  for  instance,  as  the  murder  of  a  non-"Mor- 
mon,"  it  was  charged  to  the  Church.  Governor  Eli  H.  Mur- 
ray twice  deceived  President  Cleveland  in  his  representa- 
tions that  United  States  troops  were  needed  here  to  quell 
rebellions.  To  this  and  other  similar  things  is  due  his  re- 
moval from  office. 

And  this  was  by  no  means  the  climax.  Individual  cases 
were  cited  by  these. instruments  of  defamation  where  mur- 
derous sentiments  were  alleged  to  have  been  expressed 
against  non-" Mormons"  by  prominent  Church  officials, 
which  it  is  needless  to  say,  were  pure  fabrications;  as,  for 
example,  the  infamous  "Red  Hot  Address"  by  "Bishop 
West"  of  Juab.  Notwithstanding  there  was  no  bishop  of 
this  name  then  in  the  Church,  that  there  was  no  such  ser- 
mon delivered  on  that  or  any  other  day,  and  that  no  meeting 
at  all  was  held  in  Juab  on  the  day  named,  still  it  was  widely 
circulated  and  believed  in  the  East,  and  was  the  immediate 
cause  of  the  murder  of  four  Latter-day  Saints,  including 
two  Utah  missionaries,  in  Tennessee.*  This  Party  has  al- 
ways posed  as  a  reforming  agency  in  Utah  (God  save  the 
mark!).  Here  are  some  ways  of  attaining  this  end,  sug- 
gested by  the  acknowledged  organ  of  slander,  in  its  issue  of 
March  6th,  1881 :  "I  believe  that  billiard  halls,  saloons  and 
houses  of  ill-fame  are  more  powerful  agencies  here  in  Utah 
than  churches  and  schools,"  wrote  a  "correspondent."  "I 
rejoice  when  I  see  the  young  Mormon  hoodlums  playing 
billiards,  getting  drunk,  running  with  bad  women — anything 
to  break  the  shackles  they  were  born  in,  and  that  every  so- 
called    religious    or    virtuous    influence    only    makes    the 


*For  a  full  account  of  this  tragedy,  see  John  Nicholson's 
pamphlet,  "The  Tennessee  Massacre."  Deseret  S.  S.  Union 
Book  Store,  Salt  Lake  City. 


496  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  JViORMONISM 

stronger."  And  the  editorial  comment  on  the  above  was: 
"Freedom  is  the  first  requisite  of  manhood,  and  if  it  can  be 
won  without  excesses  so  much  the  better.  If  it  can't,  never 
mind  the  excesses,  win  freedom."  Such  were  the  principles 
and  the  methods  of  the  "Liberal"  Party  in  Utah. 

And  what  strange  anomalies  it  gave  rise  to!     Here,  for 
instance,  were  men  who  had  no  scruples  about  patronizing 
houses  of  ill-fame  posing  as  refprmers  of  "Mormon"  youth ; 
a  Judge  Drummond  with  a  wife  in  the  East  and  a  harlot  in 
the  West,  professing  to  be  greatly  shocked  at  plural  mar- 
riage.   Here  we  find  men  who  use  the  most  shameful  meth- 
ods to  whip  into  line  every  Gentile  in  the  Territory  so  as  to 
create  a  solid  front  to  the  "Mormons,"  perfectly  "horrified" 
at  what  they  termed  the  tyranny  of  the  priesthood.     Here 
we  find  pious  preachers  and  over-righteous  missionaries  pro- 
fessing to  be  followers  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Nazarene, 
engaging  in  the  most  malicious  misrepresentation  of  their 
neighbors  in  order  to  create  a  larger  purse  for  their  "sacred 
enterprise."    Anon  we  shall  see  them  holding  up  their  hands 
in  holy  horror  at  what  they  called  "meddling  in  politics  on 
the  part  of  the  Mormon  Church,"  and  then  turning  round  to 
unite  their  influence  with  that  of  their  friends  in  the  East 
to  overawe  Congress  in  the  matter  of  unseating  a  Represen- 
tative and  a  Senator,  regularly  elected  and  legally  qualified 
for  the  positions.    The  fact  of  the  matter,  therefore,  is,  that 
cohabiting  with  more  than  one  woman,  the  Church  influenc- 
ing the  State,  unity  and  solidarity,  and  other  kindred  things 
are  atrocious  if  found  among  the  "Mormons,"  but  to  be 
condoned  if  found  among  non-"Mormons." 

This  language  we  would  not  apply  to  all  those  who  be- 
longed to  this  anti-"Mormon"  party.  Many  of  its  members 
were  honest,  virtuous,  and,  in  general,  upright.  But  they 
were  certainly  at  fault  in  not  protesting  vigorously  against 
the  base  and  criminal  methods  resorted  to  by  their  society  in 
order  to  reach  the  end  sought,  instead  of  sanctioning  by 


A  LONG  WAIT  FOR  THE  CROWN  497 

their  passivity  every  measure,  however  cruel,  unjust,  and 
wicked,  brought  forward  by  those  to  whom  slander  and 
vituperation  and  immorality  were  meat  and  drink. 

Statehood. 

Nothing  indicates  more  clearly  the  insincerity  of  the  "Lib- 
eral" leaders  in  their  fight  against  polygamy  than  their  con- 
duct on  at  least  two  occasions.  In  1872  a  convention  was 
held  at  Salt  Lake  City  for  the  purpose  of  again  petitioning 
Congress  for  Statehood.  Colonel  Thomas  Fitch,  a  friend  to 
the  "Mormons"  but  an  enemy  to  their  marriage  system, 
earnestly  urged  the  Saints  to  surrender  this  peculiar  rite. 
But  Judge  Hayden,  a  "Liberal,"  begged  the  "Mormons"  not 
to  listen  "with  greedy  ears  to  the  sweet  cadence  of  the 
pleader's  voice,  wooing  them  from  Charybdis  to  be 
wrecked  on  the  treacherous  Scylla."  He  entertained  too 
much  respect  for  them,  he  said,  and  so  did  the  Christian 
world,  to  believe  that  they  would  make  so  great  a  sacrifice 
unless  "new  lights"  conscientiously  guided  them.  "Your 
very  steadfastness  to  your  faith,"  he  cried,  "amid  the  trying 
difficulties  which  encompass  you  like  the  'still  small  voice' 
found  a  lodgment  in  thousands  of  hearts  all  over  the  world. 
What  will  history  write?  What  will  the  world  say  of  a 
convention  composed  almost  entirely  of  Latter-day  Saints, 
among  whom  are  six  apostles  and  twenty  bishops,  ready  and 
willing  to  sacrifice  one  of  their  divine  ordinances  for  the 
sake  of  State  government?"  We  will  not  undertake  pos- 
itively to  affirm  that  Judge  Hayden  advised  the  Saints  not 
to  abandon  plural  marriage  because  he  thought  them  insin- 
cere, but  the  whole  situation,  we  must  confess,  points  to  the 
contrary  opinion  ;  he  feared  that  they  would  yield  this  prin- 
ciple, thus  taking  away  from  the  anti-" Mormons"  every  pre- 
text for  opposition. 

Again,  in  1887,  the  People's  Party  proposed  to  form  a 
constitution  by  which  union  of  Church  and  State  should  not 


498  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMON  ISM 

be  allowed,  and  polygamy  and  bigamy  should  "be  forbidden 
and  declared  a  misdemeanor."  A  Convention  was  held,  but 
the  "Liberal"  Party  would  not  participate.  Why?  Judge 
Carleton  said  that  it  was  because  "they  feared  the  Mormons 
were  sincere,  and  might  succeed  in  warding  off  further  anti- 
'Mormon'  legislation  by  abandoning  polygamy." 

Finally,  however,  after  President  Woodruff's  Declara- 
tion and  its  general  adoption  by  the  whole  body  of  the 
Church,  the  boon  of  Statehood  was  granted  to  the  long- 
suffering  "Mormons."  In  March,  1895,  a  convention  was 
held  at  Salt  Lake  City  at  which  a  constitution  was  framed 
in  accordance  with  the  Enabling  Act.  By  this  time  there 
had  come  comparative  peace,  and  the  People's  Party  and  the 
"Liberal"  Party  had  dissolved,  reappearing  as  the  Demo- 
cratic and  the  Republican  party,  though,  of  course,  not  on 
the  old  lines,  for  those  who  had  belonged  to  the  People's 
Party  were  found  in  both  the  new  parties,  and  so  with  the 
"Liberals."  A  clause  in  the  Enabling  Act  providing  "that 
polygamous  or  plural  marriages  are  forever  prohibited,"  was 
incorporated  in  the  Constitution.  Heber  M.  Wells,  a  Utah 
boy,  was  the  first  Governor. 

But  "Mormon"  tribulations  were  not  yet  at  an  end.  The 
cry  of  "insincerity"  went  up  from  a  thousand  anti-"Mor- 
mon"  throats,  and  charges,  absolutely  unfounded  but  never- 
theless equally  useful,  were  freely  reiterated  here  and  in  the 
East.  In  1898,  B.  H.  Roberts,  a  polygamist,  was  elected  to 
Congress  by  several  thousand  majority,  but  the  national 
House  refused  him  admission.  Subsequently — in  1904 — 
Reed  Smoot,  one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  was  elected  Sena- 
tor by  the  State  Legislature,  and  though  he  was  admitted, 
petition  after  petition,  from  all  parts  of  the  country  went  up 
against  him  to  the  nation's  capital,  principally  from  the 
women  and  the  preachers.  The  case  against  Roberts  was 
clear;  that  is,  he  had  more  than  one  wife.  But  the  "Mor- 
mons" believe  that  the  Constitution  of  the  LTnited  States, 


A  LONG  WAIT  FOR  THE  CROWN  499 

both  in  letter  and  spirit,  was  grossly  violated  in  this  instance. 
It  was  different,  however,  in  the  Smoot  affair.  The  Senator 
is  admitted  even  by  his  opponents  to  be  married  to  only  one 
wife,*  to  have  a  model  family,  and  to  possess  the  rare  jewel, 
a  spotless  character.  Still  the  women  and  the  clergy  profess 
to  believe  that  his  influence  on  the  other  Senators  will  be 
contaminating.  The  "argument"  made  against  him, 
strangely  enough,  was  that  he  belonged  to  an  organization 
which  holds  that  God  may  reveal  his  will  to  the  Church,  and 
that  as  a  legislator  he  might  be  influenced  by  this  belief. 
His  recent  testimony  to  the  effect  that  his  actions  are  per- 
fectly free  from  outside  control  and  that  he  has  taken  no 
oath  inimical  to  the  government  and  laws  of  the  United 
States,  is  regarded  by  anti-"Mormons"  as  of  slight  value, 
since  it  is  inconsistent  with  what  they  have  always  conceived 
"Mormonism"  to  be.  But  the  most  anomalous  condition 
connected  with  this  Smoot  case  is,  that  sectarian  ministers, 
who  are  so  irrecoverably  "shocked"  at  the  "influence"  of  the 
"Mormon"  Church  over  some  of  its  members  who  happen 
to  hold  civil  offices,  have  no  scruples  at  all  in  holding  over 
the  national  Legislature  their  sledge-hammer  of  proscrip- 
tion. Such,  however,  have  always  been  the  inconsistencies 
and  subterfuges  of  anti-"Mormons." 

Ever  since  the  election  of  Senator  Smoot,  religious  par- 
tisans, disappointed  politicians,  and  self-righteous  apostates 
have  continued  the  fight  against  the  Church,  through  their 
unscrupulous  organ  of  vilification,  the  Salt  Lake  Tribune. 
It  is  doubtful,  however,  whether  the  fight  will  cease  when 
the  present  "Mormon"  Senator  retires  to  private  life,  for 
"the  opposition  of  these  men  is  inspired  by  the  spirit  of  the 
adversary  of  all  righteousness." 


*It  is  nevertheless  true  that  the  signatures  to  most  of  the  peti- 
tions sent  to  Washington  against  him  were  obtained  on  the  false 
representation  made  by  ministers,  that  he  was  a  polygamist. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  DAYS  OF  THE  UNDERGROUND 

Having  learned  something  of  the  sentiments  entertained  by 
the  "Mormon"  people  respecting  the  subject  of  plural  mar- 
riage, and  having  obtained  an  incite  into  the  very  "Liberal" 
methods  of  warfare  against  this  principle,  we  are  prepared 
now  to  enter  into  some  of  the  details  of  this  conflict  while  it 
was  at  its  highest  point. 

Roots  and  Rootlets. 

In  November,  1880,  George  Q.  Cannon  was  elected  Dele- 
gate to  Congress  over  Allen  G.  Campbell  by  a  majority  of 
more  than  seventeen  thousand  votes.  But  Governor  Murray, 
the  working-tool  of  the  Utah  conspirators,  refused  to  give 
him  the  certificate  of  election,  on  the  grounds  that  Mr.  Can- 
non was  not  a  citizen  and  that  the  votes  cast  for  him  were 
illegal.  The  first  reason  was  "a  lie  out  of  whole  cloth,"  the 
second,  a  pure  and  impudent  assumption  by  the  Governor 
of  powers  which  did  not  belong  to  him — of  going  behind 
the  returns.  The  certificate  was  accordingly  given  to  Mr. 
Campbell.  After  a  prolonged  fight  at  Washington  the  Dele- 
gateship  from  Utah  was  declared  vacant,  and  Mr.  Cannon, 
who  had  previously  won  out  in  similar  contests,  was  refused 
a  seat  for  being  a  polygamist. 

The  ostensible  aim  of  all  this  was  to  obtain  the  seat  for 
Mr.  Campbell.  But  the  primary,  though  "hidden,"  purpose 
was  to  arouse  through  this  means  such  a  popular  feeling  in 
the  East  as  would  result  in  legislation  against  polygamy. 
Accordingly,  the  Anti-polygamy  Society  in  Utah  sent  a  pub- 
lic letter  to  Mrs.  Hayes  at  the  White  House  in  which  this 


THE  DAYS  OF  THE  UNDERGROUND  501 

practice  was  stigmatized  as  "a  great  crime,"  and  "the  lowest 
form  of  indecency."  And  they  called  upon  "the  Christian 
women  of  the  United  States"  to  join  them  in  their  efforts  to 
urge  Congress  to  "arrest  the  further  progress  of  this  evil." 
It  was  hoped  that  "every  Christian  minister  of  the  gospel 
would  commend"  this  document  "to  the  women  of  his  con- 
gregation." 

Among  the  probable  results  of  this  instrument  may  be 
named  a  recommendation  of  President  Hayes  in  his  message 
to  Congress  for  "more  comprehensive  and  searching  meth- 
ods for  preventing  as  well  as  punishing  the  crime ;"  the  issu- 
ance of  the  ridiculous  Evarts  pamphlet  to  the  representatives 
of  the  United  States  in  European  countries  to  induce  the 
various  governments  there  to  suppress  "Mormon"  emigra- 
tion to  America,  a  thing  which  made  the  Secretary  "the 
laughing  stock  of  statesmen  and  diplomats  the  world  over ;" 
and  the  murder,  by  an  armed  mob,  in  Georgia,  of  a  young 
Utah  missionary — Joseph  Standing.  Meanwhile,  the  Ameri- 
can press  teemed  with  customary  falsehoods  about  all  phases 
of  "Mormon"  character  and  life.  A  young  reverend  school- 
teacher in  the  Sanpete  Valley,  yearning  for  celebrity,  pub- 
lished detailed  accounts  of  how  he  used  to  occupy  his  pulpit 
with  the  Word  of  God  in  one  hand  and  a  deadly  weapon  in 
the  other,  ready  to  deal  salvation  or  death  to  his  audience 
according  to  their  demeanor.  He  had  the  "honesty,"  how- 
ever, to  deny  the  story  when  he  returned  to  Utah,  though 
he  afterwards  reaffirmed  it  in  an  "apology"  which  he  wrote 
to  an  Eastern  journal,  making  considerable  additions  thereto 
along  the  old  lines.  The  Boston  Watchman  cunningly 
wrested  the  tabernacle  memorial  exercises  over  the  mar- 
tyred President — Garfield — into  a  "praying  circle"  for  his 
death.  Every  device  was  resorted  to  in  order  that  "Mor- 
monism"  might  be  placed  before  the  public  in  the  wrong 
light. 


502  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OE  MORMONISM 

"In  the  Marriage  Relation." 

As  a  result  of  this  anti-" Mormon"  agitation,  continued 
through  many  years,  Congress  was  induced  to  pass  two 
stringent  measures  against  polygamy.  The  first  of  these  was 
knowns  as  the  Edmonds  Law,  passed  in  March,  1882.  It 
provided  for  the  punishment  of  polygamy  and  unlawful  co- 
habitation, the  former  by  imprisonment  for  not  more  than 
five  years  and  a  fine  of  not  to  exceed  five  hundred  dollars, 
the  latter  by  a  maximum  penalty  of  six  months'  imprison- 
ment and  three  hundred  dollars.  To  insure  conviction,  it  was 
provided  that  any  person  who  either  practiced  polygamy  or 
unlawful  cohabitation  or  believed  it  "right  for  a  man  to  have 
more  than  one  living  and  undivorced  wife  at  the  same  time," 
might  not  serve  on  the  jury  to  try  such  a  case.  Another 
section  declared  that  all  polygamists  were  disqualified  as 
voters  and  ineligible  to  appointments.  But  even  this  act  was 
not  rigorous  enough  to  suit  the  anti-"Mormon"  ring-leaders. 
So,  in  March,  1887,  the  Edmonds-Tucker  Bill  was  passed. 
This  law  provided  that  the  husband  or  wife  might  be  com- 
pelled to  testify ;  that  attachments  might  be  issued  when  it 
was  believed  that  a  witness  would  fail  to  appear ;  that  the 
Territorial  law  incorporating  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints  be  abolished ;  and  that  a  test  oath  be  sub- 
mitted to  each  voter. 

The  outrageous  character  of  these  laws  was  patent  to  at 
least  some  of  the  national  lawmakers,  as  is  evident  from 
their  denunciations  of  them  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate  and 
the  House.  Representative  Bennett  of  North  Carolina  char- 
acterized that  part  of  the  bill  which  "put  the  Mormon 
Church  in  liquidation"  as  not  only  superfluous,  but  atrocious, 
and  unconstitutional.  Senator  Vest  declared  his  determina- 
tion to  stand  out  against  the  public  sentiment  which  required 
the  passage  of  this  Edmonds-Tucker  bill,  whatever  the  con- 
sequences might  be  to  himself.     "It  is  naked,  simple,  bold 


THE  DAYS  OF  THE  UNDERGROUND  503 

confiscation  and  nothing  else,"  he  said,  referring  to  the 
clause  disincorporating  the  Church  and  providing  means  to 
wind  up  its  affairs.  "The  whole  spirit  of  this  test-oath  legis- 
lation," he  added,  "is  wrong ;  it  is  contrary  to  the  principles 
and  spirit  of  our  republican  institutions."  Nevertheless  both 
measures  became  law,  much  to  the  distress  of  the  Saints. 

But  these  Acts  were  mildness  itself  compared  with  the 
manner  and  spirit  in  which  they  were  interpreted  and  car- 
ried out  in  Utah.    The  Edmonds  Law  provided  for  a  Board 
of  Commissioners  appointed  by  the  President,  to  regulate 
matters  pertaining  to  "the  registration  of  voters,  the  conduct 
of  elections,  the  receiving  or  rejection  of  votes,  and  the  can- 
vassing and  returning  of  the  same,  and  the  issuing  of  cer- 
tificates or  other  evidence  of  election."    The  board  was  com- 
posed of  Alexander  Ramsey,  of  Minnesota;  Algernon   S. 
Paddock,  of  Nebraska ;  George  L.  Godfrey,  of  Iowa ;  Am- 
brose B.  Carlton,  of  Indiana;  and  James  R.  Pettigrew,  of 
Arkansas,  who  received  their  appointment  in  June  and  ar- 
rived at  Salt  Lake  City  in  August,  1882.    One  of  their  first 
duties  was  to  formulate  a  test-oath,  which  they  did  in  a  man- 
ner satisfactory,  no  doubt,  to  the  radical  anti-"Mormons," 
but  in  a  way  that  gave  the  keynote  to  the  whole  business  of 
interpreting  these  Congressional  provisions ;  for  one  clause 
read,  "And  I  do  further  solemnly  swear  (or  affirm)  that  I 
am  not  a  bigamist  nor  a  polygamist ;  that  I  am  not  a  violator 
of  the  laws  of  the  United  States  prohibiting  bigamy  or  po- 
lygamy;  that  I  do  not  live  or  cohabit  with  more  than  one 
woman  in  the  marriage  relation/'    It  was  this  clause  I  have 
put  in  italics,  which  was  not,  however,  in  the  Edmonds  Law, 
together  with  a  subsequent  unsuccessful  attempt  to  punish 
certain  prominent  non-" Mormons"  for  cohabiting  with  more 
than  one  woman  not  in  the  marriage  relation,  that  lead  Sen- 
ator Brown,  while  the  Edmonds-Tucker  Act  was  under  con- 
sideration in  the  Senate,  to  propose  an  amendment  making 


504  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMON  ISM 

"this  and  the  preceding  section  apply  as  well  to  so-called 
Gentiles  as  to  "Mormons" — a  suggestion  that  shocked  Sen- 
ator Edmonds  very  much. 

As  an  example  of  the  unjust  workings  of  this  infamous 
test-oath,  President  John  Taylor,  in  an  article  written  at  the 
time  to  the  North  American  Review,  cited  two  cases.  One 
was  of  a  former  mayor  of  Salt  Lake  City — Feramorz  Little 
— an  honorable  and  highly  respected  gentleman,  who  was  re- 
fused registration,  though  both  his  wives  were  then  dead, 
and  he  himself  was  without  a  wife,  his  own  son  having  the 
mortification  of  denying  him  one  of  the  most  sacred  rights 
of  an  American  citizen.  The  other  was  of  a  man — a  non- 
"Mormon" — who,  though  confessedly  immoral,  had  suf- 
ficient honor  left  to  refuse  taking  what  appeared  on  casual 
observation  to  be  an  oath  that  would  make  him  liable  for 
perjury,  but  who,  when  his  attention  was  called  to  the  last 
clause,  was  nevertheless  sworn.  "Oh,  I  see,  I  see !"  he  ex- 
claimed ;  "I  can  go  that !"  And  so  this  man  cast  his  ballot 
freely  as  did  hundreds  of  others  like  him,  while  those  whom 
Governor  Murray  himself  designated  as  "the  brainiest  men 
in  the  Territory"  were  compelled  to  submit  to  the  dictates  of 
men  whose  names  were  unworthy  of  mention  on  the  same 
day  with  their  own.  Such,  however,  was-the  only  justice 
which  Congress  and  the  Commissioners  had  for  the  "Mor- 
mons." 

To  give  even  typical  cases  of  arrest  and  trial  under  this 
Edmonds  and  Edmonds-Tucker  Law  would  acquire  more 
space  that  we  have  at  our  disposal,  thought  it  would  be  ex- 
ceedingly interesting  and  would  show  the  progressively 
harsh  enforcement  of  a  harsh  measure.  -We  shall,  therefore, 
content  ourselves  with  giving  some  characteristics  of  the 
methods  pursued  to  capture  and  convict  men  who  were  sup- 
posed to  be  living  in  plural  marriage. 

Several  hundred  cases  of  conviction  occurred  under  these 


THE  DAYS  OF  THE  UNDERGPOUND  505 

Acts,  mostly  for  unlawful  cohabitation ;  and  in  nearly  every 
instance  the  full  penalty  of  the  law  was  inflicted.  The  first 
case  was  that  of  Rudger  Clawson,  then  a  young  man  of 
not  much  prominence  in  the  Church,  but  now  one  of  the 
Twelve  Apostles.  Among  the  authorities  of  the  Church  sent 
to  prison  were  Apostles  Snow  and  Lyman,  President  George 
Q.  Cannon,  Elder  B.  H.  Roberts,  and  President  Angus  M. 
Cannon.  And  so  it  went  on  till  the  penitentiary  was 
crowded  with  "the  brainiest  men  in  Utah." 

Of  course  those  who  were  liable  to  arrest  under  these 
laws  went  into  hiding,  or  "under  ground,"  as  the  phrase 
went  in  those  days.  All  the  prominent  men  of  the  Church, 
except  a  very  few,  either  went  about  in  such  disguise  as  hid 
their  identity  even  from  members  of  their  own  families,  or 
went  to  Canada,  Mexico,  or  some  part  of  Europe,  or  re- 
mained in  secret  rooms  at  their  own  homes.  Plural  wives, 
also,  were  compelled  to  go  under  ground  to  avoid  arrest, 
most  of  them  taking  some  other  name  than  their  own.  The 
danger  of  the  situation  was  aggravated  by  the  connivance 
with  the  officers  or  the  simple-mindedness  of  some  of  the 
Saints  themselves,  which  made  it  hard  sometimes  to  tell  who 
was  a  friend  or  who  a  foe.  The  approach  of  "the  deputies" 
was  always  a  source  of  great  consternation.  Sometimes  it 
occurred  in  the  day,  but  oftener  at  dead  of  night ;  but  when- 
ever it  happened,  those  whose  peace  and  security  were 
threatened  had  to  be  disposed  of  somehow.  The  hardships 
entailed  by  such  a  strenuous  life,  a  life  of  almost  perpetual 
terror,  it  is  impossible  for  any  one  to  imagine,  who  did  not 
actually  pass  through  the  experience.  This  constant  alert- 
ness of  mind  was  a  great  strain  on  those  who  were  in  the 
least  inclined  to  be  nervous,  and  was  the  direct  means  of 
permanently  breaking  down  the  health  of  men  and  women, 
sometimes  resulting  in  death.  There  is  no  doubt  that  Presi- 
dent Taylor's  useful  career  was  thus  cut  short. 


506  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

Finding   difficulty   in   making   the   required   arrest?,   the 
officers  resorted  to  a  most  detestable  system  of  espionage. 
"Paid  informers,  both  men  and  women,"  says  Whitney  in 
his  History  of  Utah,  "were  put  to  work  to  ferret  out  cases 
of  polygamy.     Some  of  these  assumed  roles  of  peddlers, 
some  of  tourists,  others  of  tramps,  and  insinuated  them- 
selves into  private  dwellings,  relying  upon  their  impertinent 
inquiries  and  the  gossiping  propensities  of  the  inmates  of  the 
homes  desecrated  by  their  presence,  to  elicit  desired  informa- 
tion.    In  some  places  they  were  eminently  successful ;  in 
others  they  were  promptly  detected  and  expelled.     Little 
children,    going   to    or    returning    from    school,    would   be 
stopped  upon  the  streets  by  strange  men  and  women  and  in- 
terrogated respecting  the  martial  relations  of  their  parents. 
At  night  dark  forms  could  be  seen  prowling  about  the  prem- 
ises of  peaceable  citizens,  peering  into  windows  or  watching 
for  the  opening  of  doors  through  which  to  obtain  glimpses 
of  persons  supposed  to  be  inside.     Some  of  the  hirelings 
were  bold  enough,  or  indecent  enough,  to  thrust  themselves 
into  sick-rooms  and  women's  bed-chambers,  rousing  the  oc- 
cupants from  slumber  by  pulling  the  bed-clothes  off  them. 
Houses  were  broken  into  by  deputy  marshals  armed  with 
axes.    Delicate  women,  about  to  become  mothers,  or  having 
infants  in  arms,  would  be  roused  from  rest  at  the  most  un- 
seemly hours,  driven  long  distances  through  the  night,  in 
vehicles  filled  with  profane  and  half-drunken  men,  and  ar- 
raigned before  U.  S.  Commissioners.     More  than  one  poor 
woman,  fleeing  from  arrest,  or  succumbing  from  fright  and 
exhaustion,  perished  in  giving  premature  birth  to  a  child 
destined  to  bear  through  life  the  effects  of  the  brutal  treat- 
ment meted  out  to  its  unfortunate  mother.     Male  fugitives 
were  shot  at  if  they  did  not  immediately  surrender  to  the 
officers,  and  in  one  instance  a  reputable  citizen  was  slain 


THE  DAYS  OF  THE  UNDERGROUND  507 

without  provocation  by  an  over-zealous  deputy  marshal,  bent 
on  vindicating  the  majesty  of  the  law." 

"  'Hunting  cohabs' — to  use  the  vulgar  parlance  of  the  times 
— was  the  most  lucrative  employment  of  the  hour;  and  one 
in  which  some  of  the  most  disreputable  persons  in  the  com- 
munity zealously  engaged.  Twenty  dollars  per  capita,  for 
each  polygamist  arrested,  was  the  ordinary  price  paid  to 
these  mercenaries  for  betraying  them.  It  was  profit,  not 
patriotism,  that  inspired  such  labors.  Hence  the  odium  at- 
taching to  such  characters  and  the  detestation  in  which  they 
were  generally  regarded. 

"So  bold  and  .insulting  became  the  night  prowlers,  en- 
couraged by  immunity  from  punishment  to  proceed  to  the 
most  exasperating  lengths — that  the  persecuted  people  in 
places — notably  Salt  Lake  City — were  compelled  to  organize 
special  police  forces  to  guard  their  homes  and  families 
against  such  aggressions.  But  there  was  still  another  object 
in  the  organization  of  these  police.  Paradoxical  as  it  may 
seem,  it  was  the  protection  of  the  spies  themselves,  some  of 
whom  were  United  States  officers ;  and  to  kill  or  maim  one — 
whatever  the  provocation — would  have  been  heralded 
abroad  as  a  "Mormon"  atrocity,  to  justify  all  that  had  been 
done,  and  twice  as  much  to  follow.  That  so  few  collisions 
occurred,  and  that  absolutely  no  blood  was  shed  by  "Mor- 
mon" hands  during  that  troublous  period,  is  an  historical, 
anomaly,  a  psychological  marvel ;  one  that  speaks  trumpet- 
tongued  in  praise  of  the  patience  and  self-control  of  the 
tantalized  and  trampled  community." 

Some  amusing  stories  went  the  rounds  of  how  the  dog- 
ging officials  were  either  put  on  the  wrong  scent  or  alto- 
gether evaded.  One  good  brother,  caught  unawares  by  the 
deputies,  obtained  permission  to  go  up  stairs,  and  when  he 
had  done  so,  he  descended  on  the  outside  from  an  upper 
window  by  means  of  a  rope  tied  to  the  bedstead,  and  thus 


508  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

made  his  way  safely  to  "fresh  woods  and  pastures  new." 
Another  prominent  Elder,  dressed  as  an  old  lady,  boarded 
a  train  for  New  York,  with  the  intention  of  sailing  to  Eng- 
land. An  officer,  getting  wind  of  his  intentions,  but  not  of 
his  disguise,  went  also  to  the  metropolis.  He  watched  very 
carefully  the  entrance  to  the  ship  bound  for  Britain ;  but  no 
elder  from  Utah  made  his  appearance.  Instead  of  arresting 
"his  man,"  the  officer  had  the  "pleasure"  of  courteously  ex- 
tending a  helping  hand  to  a  particularly  feeble  old  lady— - 
the  very  elder  in  disguise — struggling  to  ascend  the  plank 
leading  to  the  ship.  A  courageous  and  determined  woman 
in  southern  Utah,  when  an  officer  tried  to  search  her  house 
without  a  warrant,  whether  she  would  or  no,  grabbed  a 
picket  from  the  fence  and  pommeled  the  retreating  figure 
of  the  detective  in  a  truly  masculine  fashion.  And  a  pre- 
cocious youngster  in  Salt  Lake,  asked  on  the  street  if  he 
could  not  point  out  a  polygamist  in  the  neighborhood,  led 
the  gracious  and  inquiring  marshal  into  a  hen  coop  in  the 
backyard  and  bade  him  arrest  the  feathered  "cohab." 

Inevitable  conviction  followed  arrest.  No  "Mormon" 
could  sit  on  the  jury.  "Do  you  believe  the  doctrines  and 
tenets  of  the  Mormon  Church?"  is  a  sample  of  the  questions 
asked  the  jurors  at  the  trial.  And  further,  "Do  you  believe 
in  the  doctrine  of  plural  marriage,  as  taught  by  the  Mormon 
Church?"  "Do  you  believe  it  right  for  a  man  to  have  more 
than  one  undivorced  wife  living  at  the  same  time?"  In  this 
way  every  Latter-day  Saint  was  excluded  from  the  jury — 
every  person  who  would  be  likely  to  sympathize  with  the  ac- 
cused. These  questions  were  asked  only  of  those  who  were 
known  to  be  members  of  the  Church.  The  juries  kept  get- 
ting more  and  more  pliable  in  anti-"Mormon"  hands.  One 
jury,  for  instance,  disagreed  in  the  first  trial  of  Rudger 
Clawson ;  but  care  was  taken,  after  that,  that  no  other  jury 
should  ever  do  so.    In  Idaho,  United  States  Marshal  Fred  T. 


THE  DAYS  OF  THE  UNDERGROUND 


m 


Dubois  openly  boasted  of  having  obtained  a  jury  that  would 
have  no  scruples  in  convicting  Jesus  Christ.  And  it  was 
much  the  same  in  Utah,  only  no  one  here  happened  to  think 
of  this  blasphemous  way  of  putting  it. 

To  secure  conviction  women  were  compelled,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  Edmonds-Tucker  Act,  to  testify  in  cases 
where  their  husbands  were  on  trial.  The  most  indecent 
questions  were  put  to  them,  for  refusing  to  answer  which 
several  were  imprisoned.  Thus  women  as  well  as  men  suf- 
fered incarceration  for  their  convictions. 

Nor  was  the  construction  of  the  law  one  whit  behind  the 
spirit  which  characterized  the  arrest  and  trial  of  alleged  of- 
fenders ;  and  this,  like  the  other,  was  progressive  in  its 
harshness.  In  the  case  of  Angus  M.  Cannon,  Judge  Zane 
decided  that  it  was  sufficient  if  the  evidence  showed  "that 
a  man  lives  with  more  than  one  woman,  cohabits  with  them 
and  holds  them  out  to  the  world  as  his  wives."  In  address- 
ing the  jury  in  this  Cannon  case  the  Judge  said:  "It  is  not 
necessary  that  the  evidence  should  show  that  the  defendant 
and  these  women,  or  either  of  them,  occupied  the  same  bed 
or  slept  in  the  same  room."  It  was  sufficient,  he  said,  that, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  jurors,  "the  defendant  lived  in  the  same 
house  with  Amanda  Cannon  and  Clara  C.  Cannon,  the  wo- 
men named  in  the  indictment,  and  ate  at  their  respective 
tables  one-third  of  his  time  or  thereabouts,  and  that  he  held 
them  out  to  the  world  by  his  language  or  his  conduct,  or  by 
both,  as  his  wives."  This  judgment,  which  was  sustained 
by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  was  a  distinctive 
crisis  in  the  Crusade.     But  a  worse  stage  was  to  come. 

Thinking,  at  first,  perhaps,  that  the  "Mormons"  were  in- 
voking the  sacredness  of  plural  marriage  (on  the  grounds  of 
its  having  been  commanded  by  special  revelation  to  the 
Church),  as  a  shield  for  licentiousness,  those  who  admin- 
istered  the  law  had   not   hitherto   scrutinized   that  law   so 


510  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONI3M 

closely  as  to  see  its  greatest  possibilities.  But  no  sooner 
did  they  perceive  that  the  "Mormons"  acted  from  a  high 
sense  of  religious  duty  than  these  minions  of  the  Edmonds 
Acts  tormented  their  ingenuity  to  get  interpretations  till 
they  found  scarcely  no  limits  for  which  they  could  not  dis- 
cover a  warrant  in  the  Congressional  rulings.  The  one 
which  showed  the  greatest  possibilities  was  what  became 
known  as  "Segregation."  Briefly  explained,  it  was  this : 
U.  S.  Attorney  Dickson  maintained  that,  "while  the  maxi- 
mum legal  penalty  for  unlawful  cohabitation — the  holding- 
out  of  two  or  more  women  as  wives — was  a  fine  of  three 
hundred  dollars  and  imprisonment  for  six  months,  there  was 
nothing  to  prevent  dividing  the  period  of  the  offense  into 
"times  and  times  and  half-times ;'  each  fragment  being 
broken  off  or  segregated  to  be  covered  by  a  separate  indict- 
ment." And  this  extraordinary  construction.  Judge  Zane 
decided  to  be  perfectly  within  the  law. 

Shortly  after  this  Judge  Powers  said:  "An  indictment 
may  be  found  against  a  man  guilty  of  cohabitation,  for 
every  day,  or  other  distinct  interval  of  time,  during  which 
he  offends.  Each  day  that  a  man  cohabits  with  more  than 
one  woman,  as  I  have  defined  the  word  'cohabit'  [the  "hold- 
ing out"  practice]  is  a  distinct  and  separate  violation  of  the 
law,  and  he  is  liable  for  punishment  for  each  separate  of- 
fense." The  Deseret  News,  in  commenting  upon  this  as- 
tounding decision,  said  :  "This  was  a  master-stroke,  because 
the  maximum  aggregate  penalty  under  Judge  Zane's  divi- 
sional process  .  .  .  would  amount  to  imprisonment  for 
only  seventy-eight  years,  and  a  fine  of  forty-six  thousand 
eight  hundred  dollars.  According  to  Powers  the  obnoxious 
Mormon  could  be  sentenced  to  an  aggregated  term  of  five 
hundred  and  forty-seven  years  and  six  months,  and  com- 
pelled to  pay  a  fine  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-eight  thou- 
sand four  hundred  dollars.    If  he  happened  to  be  impecuni- 


THE  DAYS  OF  THE  UNDERGROUND  511 

ous  he  could  be  made  to  remain  in  prison  for  ninety-one 
years  and  three  months  longer,  in  order  to  satisfy  the  'poor 
convict  act.'  Such  lengthy  periods  in  prison  would  certainly 
be  conducive  to  fatigue,  and  be  a  powerful  test  of  endur- 
ance." This  satirical  writer  recommended  that  the  penal- 
ties be  extended  to  the  other  life.  But  unfortunately  this 
"segregation"  idea  was  ruled  out  by  the  court  of  last  resort. 

Nothing  reveals  better  the  fact  that  these  "Mormon"  po- 
lygamists  were  actuated  by  a  high  sense  of  honor  than  the 
words  which  some  of  them  uttered  in  the  court-room  when 
asked  if  they  had  anything  to  say  why  sentence  should  not  be 
pronounced  upon  them.  A  few,  including  one  bishop,  pledged 
themselves  to  obey  the  law,  and  thus  escape  with  either  a 
mild  punishment  or  none  at  all.  But  they  were  universally 
considered  traitors  among  their  co-religionists,  and  their  ex- 
ample was  disregarded  by  the  great  majority  of  the  brethren. 
Elder  Rudger  Clawson,  at  his  trial,  said :  "I  very  much  re- 
gret that  the  laws  of  my  country  should  come  in  conflict  with 
the  laws  of  God ;  but  whenever  they  do,  I  shall  invariably 
choose  to  obey  the  latter,"  Abraham  H.  Cannon  declared 
that  he  acknowledged  "a  higher  law  than  that  of  man."  And 
he  went  on  to  say :  "When  I  embraced  this  religion,  I  prom- 
ised to  place  all  that  I  had,  even  life  itself,  upon  the  altar, 
and  I  expect  to  abide  by  that  covenant.  And,  sir,  I  hope  the 
day  will  never  come  when  I  must  sacrifice  principle,  even  to 
procure  life  or  liberty.  Honor,  sir,  to  me  is  higher  than  any- 
thing else  upon  the  earth ;  and  my  religion  is  dearer  to  me 
than  anything  that  I  have  yet  seen."  Apostle  Lorenzo  Snow 
said:  "I  married  my  wives  because  God  commanded  it. 
The  ceremony,  which  united  us  for  time  and  eternity,  was 
performed  by  a  servant  of  God  having  authority.  God  being 
my  helper,  I  would  prefer  to  die  a  thousand  deaths  than 
renounce  my  wives  and  violate  these  sacred  obligations." 

The  latter  part  of  the  Crusade  was  marked  by  the  con- 


512  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

fiscation  by  the  Federal  government  of  the  property  of  the 
Church.  The  United  States  marshal  was  appointed  receiver. 
The  tithing  house  and  grounds,  the  Historian's  Office,  the 
Gardo  House,  and  even  the  Temple  block,  including  the  Tab- 
ernacle and  the  Assembly  Hall — buildings  used  exclusively 
for  purposes  of  worship — were  taken,  and  the  "Mormons" 
made  to  pay  rent  for  their  own  buildings.  A  long  course  of 
intricate  and  complicated  litigation  followed,  which  it  would 
be  of  little  interest  to  relate  in  this  place,  at  the  end  of 
which  what  was  left  of  about  a  million  and  a  half  dollars 
was  restored  to  the  Church. 

But  the  time  came  when  the  better  class  of  non-"Mor- 
mons"  sickened  of  this  disreputable  work  of  hounding  polyg- 
amists  and  persecuting  an  innocent  people  for  their  religious 
convictions ;  and  they  as  well  as  the  Saints  longed  eagerly 
for  a  change.  That  change  finally  came.  A  division  oc- 
curred among  the  Gentiles  here,  some  still  clamoring  for  a 
continuation  of  "heroic  measures,"  others  crying  for  more 
humane  treatment.  The  better  sentiment  prevailed,  and 
there  took  place  a  freer  intercourse  between  "Mormons" 
and  non-"Mormons."  Of  such  a  relaxation,  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  which  prohibited  any  discussion  of  politics 
and  religion,  was  part  of  the  good  fruit  borne.  Finally,  in 
1890,  President  Woodruff  issued  his  Declaration,  which 
those  Gentiles  that  had  been  honest  in  their  opposition  to 
polygamy  at  once  accepted  as  a  sincere  expression  of  the 
"Mormon"  will.    And  at  last  the  Crusade  was  at  an  end. 


CHAPTER  VI 

SOME  SCATTERED  FRAGMENTS 

There  still  remain  a  number  of  important  events  in  the  pro- 
gress of  "Mormonism"  during  this  last  period,  which  it  is 
proper  that  we  should  speak  of  before  bringing  our  narra- 
tive to  a  close. 

Changes  in  Leadership. 

When  the  First  Presidency  of  the  Church  was  reorganized 
in  December,  1847,  it  consisted,  as  we  have  seen,  of  Brig- 
ham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  and  Willard  Richards.  In 
March,  1854,  President  Richards  died,  and  was  succeeded 
by  Jedediah  M.  Grant.  President  Grant,  however,  occupied 
this  position  less  than  three  years,  for  he  passed  away  in 
December,  1856.  His  place  was  taken  by  Daniel  H.  Wells. 
President  Kimball  died  in  June,  1868,  and  the  vacancy  was 
rilled  by  the  appointment  of  Apostle  George  A.  Smith.  Pres- 
ident Smith,  however,  died  in  September,  1875,  whereupon 
John  W.  Young  was  chosen  to  succeed  him.  Thus  the  First 
Presidency  stood  in  1877,  when  President  Young  passed 
away. 

In  the  meantime,  changes  had  occurred  also  in  the  Quo- 
rum of  Twelve.  At  the  opening  of  the  year  1848  the  quo- 
rum stood  as  follows :  Orson  Hyde,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Orson 
Pratt,  John  Taylor,  Wilford  Woodruff,  George  A.  Smith, 
Amasa  Lyman,  and  Ezra  T.  Benson,  there  being  four  va- 
cancies. Shortly  afterwards,  however,  these  were  filled  by 
the  appointment  of  Charles  C.  Rich,  Lorenzo  Snow,  Erastus 
Snow,  and  Franklin  D.  Richards.     Later,  but  during  Presi- 


514  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

dent  Young's  life,  George  Q.  Cannon,  Joseph  F.  Smith, 
Brigham  Young,  Jr.,  and  Albert  Carrington  were  chosen 
to  fill  vacancies  made  by  the  apostasy  of  Amasa  Lyman,  the 
deaths  of  Parley  P.  Pratt  and  Ezra  T.  Benson,  and  the  ap- 
pointment of  George  A.  Smith  to  the  First  Presidency. 
Orson  Hyde  had  acted  as  President  of  the  Twelve  from 
1847  till  1875,  when  his  place  was  taken  by  John  Taylor. 
At  the  death  of  President  Young,  therefore,  this  quorum 
stood:  John  Taylor,  Orson  Hyde,  Orson  Pratt,  Wilford 
Woodruff,  Charles  C.  Rich,  Lorenzo  Snow,  Erastus  Snow, 
Franklin  D.  Richards,  George  Q.  Cannon,  Joseph  F.  Smith, 
Brigham  Young,  Jr.,  and  Albert  Carrington. 

In  1849,  John  Smith,  uncle  of  the  Prophet  Joseph,  was 
made  Presiding  Patriarch,  which  office  he  held  till  his  death 
in  1854,  when  John  Smith,  eldest  son  of  Hyrum  the  Martyr, 
took  his  place.     He  is  the  present  incumbent  of  this  office. 

When  the  Saints  left  Illinois,  the  First  council  of  Seventy 
was  as  follows:  Joseph  Young,  Levi  W.  Hancock,  Henry 
Herriman,  Zera  Pulsipher,  Albert  P.  Rockwood,  Jedediah 
M.  Grant,  and  Benjamin  L.  Clapp.  When  President  Grant 
was  taken  from  the  quorum,  his  place  was  rilled  by  Horace 
S.  Eldredge.  Elder  Clapp  was  excommunicated  from  the 
Church  in  1859,  and  his  position  given  to  Jacob  Gates.  In 
1862,  Elder  Pulsipher  was  ordained  a  patriarch,  and  his 
place  was  filled  by  John  Van  Cott.  So  the  quorum  stood  in 
1877,  when  President  Young  died. 

On  the  29th  of  August,  1877,  President  Brigham  Young 
passed  away  at  his  home  in  Salt  Lake  City.  Like  the  mar- 
tyrdom of  the  Prophet  Joseph,  it  was  a  shock  to  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  throughout  the  world,  though  it  was  not  so  un- 
expected as  that  tragedy,  for  the  President  had  been  ailing 
for  some  time:  During  the  varying  scenes  of  thirty  years 
he  had  been  at  the  head  of  the  Church,  and  had  directed 
affairs  with  great  wisdom.    So  potent  had  been  his  influence 


SOME   SCATTERED   FRAGMENTS  515 

in  shaping  the  destinies  of  "MormonisirT'  that  many  thought 
the  Church  would  fall  to  pieces  when  he  died.  But  those 
who  entertained  such  an  opinion  showed  thereby  their  total 
ignorance  of  this  religion.  It  has  many  times  demonstrated 
that  no  man,  however  great,  is  indispensable  to  the  progress 
of  the  work  of  God. 

The  Twelve,  as  was  the  case  at  the  death  of  Joseph,  were 
the  presiding  quorum  of  the  Church,  and  they  remained  so 
till  the  October  conference  of  1880,  when  John  Taylor  was 
elected  President  and  George  Q.  Cannon  and  Joseph  F. 
Smith  his  counselors.  This  created  three  vacancies  in  the 
quorum  of  apostles.  During  the  presidency  of  President 
Taylor  the  deaths  of  Orson  Hyde,  Orson  Pratt,  and  Charles 
C.  Rich,  in  1878,  1881,  and  1883,  respectively,  created  three 
more  vacancies.  These  six  places  were  filled  by  the  selection 
of  Moses  Thatcher,  Francis  M.  Lyman,  John  Henry  Smith, 
George  Teasdale,  Heber  J.  Grant  and  John  W.  Taylor.  The 
deaths,  meanwhile,  of  Albert  P.  Rockwood,  Joseph  Young, 
Levi  W.  Hancock,  and  John  Van  Cott,  caused  four  vacan- 
cies in  the  First  Council  of  Seventy,  which  were  filled  by  the 
appointment  of  William  W.  Taylor,  Abraham  H.  Cannon, 
Seymour  B.  Young,  and  Christian  D.  Fjeldsted.  But,  in 
1884,  Elder  Taylor  died,  and  his  place  was  taken  by  John 
Morgan.  Elder  Eldredge  passed  away  in  1888,  and  B.  H. 
Roberts  took  his  place  in  the  quorum. 

It  was  during  the  administration  of  President  Taylor,  as 
we  have  already  learned,  that  the  Crusade  occurred.  He  was 
one  of  the  Lions  of  the  Lord,  bold  and  courageous,  sincere 
and  earnest,  cultured,  scholarly ;  a  man  of  fervid  eloquence, 
with  the  pen  as  with  the  tongue ;  a  perfect  gentleman.  Un- 
der the  guidance  of  the  divine  Spirit,  he  preserved  intact 
the  wonderful  Society  that  had  grown  up  under  the  leader- 
ship of  the  Prophet  and  his  remarkable  successor.     Presi- 


516  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

dent  Taylor  died,  in  exile  for  the  Truth,  July,  1887,  at  Kays- 
ville,  Davis  county,  Utah. 

For  the  next  two  years,  lacking  three  months,  the  Twelve 
were  again  left  at  the  presiding  quorum  of  the  Church.  In 
April,  1889,  Wilford  Woodruff  was  chosen  President  with 
George  Q.  Cannon  and  Joseph  F.  Smith  as  his  counselors. 
The  incumbency  of  President  Woodruff  continued  till  1898. 
Meanwhile,  Albert  Carrington  was  excommunicated  from 
the  Church  and  Erastus  Snow  passed  away.  Their  positions 
and  that  left  vacant  by  the  elevation  of  Elder  Woodruff  to 
the  Presidency  were  filled  by  Marriner  W.  Merril,  Anthon 
H.  Lund,  and  Abraham  H.  Cannon.  The  last  named  died 
in  1896,  and  in  the  same  year  Moses  Thatcher  was  dropped 
from  the  quorum:  Matthias  F.  Cowley  and  Abraham  O. 
Woodruff  were  thereupon  ordained  apostles  and  admitted 
into  the  quorum.  Some  changes  occurred  also  in  the  First 
Seven  Presidents  of  Seventy.  Abraham  H.  Cannon  was 
advanced  to  the  quorum  of  Twelve,  Henry  Herriman,  Jacob 
Gates,  and  John  Morgan  passed  away.  Their  places  were 
taken  by  George  Reynolds,  Jonathan  G.  Kimball,  Rulon  S. 
Wells,  and  Edward  Stevenson.  Elder  Stevenson,  however, 
died  in  1898,  and  his  place  was  filled  by  Joseph  W.  Mc- 
Murrin. 

During  the  nine  years  that  President  Woodruff  occupied 
this  position,  occurred  that  modification  of  the  feeling  of  bit- 
terness between  Gentiles  and  "Mormons"  in  Utah,  to  which 
we  have  already  referred.  And  he  was  a  man  well  fitted 
by  nature  to  attain  pacific  ends,  if  such  ends  could  be  at- 
tained at  all  between  two  such  naturally  inharmonious  e  e- 
ments.  He  was  a  man  of  uniform  simplicity,  kindliness, 
and  uprightness,  without  a  personal  enemy  in  the  world.  He 
died  in  September,  1898,  at  San  Francisco,  while  on  a  visit 
to  California  for  his  health. 

Once  more,  therefore,  the  Presidency  of  the  Church  rested 


SOME  SCATTERED  FRAGMENTS  517 

upon  the  Twelve,  Lorenzo  Snow  being  President;  but  not 
for  long,  however,  for,  only  eleven  days  after  the  demise 
of  President  Woodruff,  Lorenzo  Snow  was  chosen  President 
of  the  Church,  with  the  same  counselors  as  the  two  preced- 
ing presidents  had  selected.  His  administration  continued 
till  October,  1901 — almost  exactly  three  years.  During  this 
time  President  George  Q.  Cannon  passed  away,  and  Rudger 
Clawson  was  chosen  second  counselor,  President  Smith  be- 
ing made  first  counselor.  Elder  Clawson  had  previously 
been  made  a  member  of  the  quorum  of  Twelve.  Franklin 
D.  Richards  also  died  while  President  Snow  was  in  office, 
Reed  Smoot  being  chosen  to  fill  the  vacancy  thus  occurring. 

President  Snow's  incumbency  was  characterized  by  a 
financial  betterment  of  the  Church.  During  the  troublous 
years  that  preceded,  the  Church  had  become  heavily  indebt- 
ed. President  Snow  exerted  himself  to  his  utmost  to  redeem 
its  money  pledges.  He  visited  personally  some  of  the  stakes 
of  Zion  advocating  a  stricter  payment  of  tithes  by  the  peo- 
ple. And  he  lived  long  enough  to  see  a  marked  improve- 
ment in  this  respect.  He  was  a  refined  and  polished  man,  of 
scholarly  habits  of  thought,  and  strong  personality.  He 
died  rather  suddenly  at  the  Bee  Hive  House  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  October  10,  1901. 

The  interval  between  the  death  of  President  Snow  and 
the  appointment  of  Joseph  F.  Smith  to  the  vacant  office  was 
even  briefer  than  that  between  the  death  of  President  Wood- 
ruff and  the  election  of  his  successor,  only  seven  days.  The 
reason  for  this  apparent  haste  was  explained  by  President 
Smith  at  a  special  conference,  as  being  partly  because  there 
was  no  need  for  delay,  but  mainly  because  the  financial  in- 
terests of  the  Church  were  so  great  as  to  require  immediate 
action  in  the  matter  of  appointing  and  sustaining  a  trustee- 
in-trust.  President  Smith's  counselors  were  John  R.  Win- 
der and  Anthon  H.  Lund.     This  change  and  the  deaths  of 


518  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

Apostles  Young  and  Woodruff  created  three  vacancies  in 
the  quorum,  which  were  filled  by  the  ordination  of  Hyrum 
M.  Smith,  George  Albert  Smith,  and  Charles  W.  Penrose. 

Subsequently  the  resignations  of  Apostles  John  W.  Taylor 
and  Matthias  F.  Cowley,  and  the  deaths  of  M.  W.  Merrill 
and  George  Teasdale  created  four  vacancies  which  were 
filled  by  Elders  George  F.  Richards,  Orson  F.  Whitney, 
David  O.  McKay,  and  Antony  W.  Ivins.  In  the  quorum  of 
First  presidents  of  Seventies,  a  change  occurred:  C.  D. 
Fjeldsted  passed  away,  his  place  filled  by  Charles  H.  Hart. 

President  Joseph  F.  Smith  is  a  son  of  Hyrum  Smith, 
the  Patriarch,  and  has  been  actively  .engaged  in  the  minis- 
try ever  since  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age.  He  is  a  man  of 
the  most  positive  and  earnest  character,  two  qualities  which 
he  is  stamping  indelibly  upon  the  Church. 

An  important  constructive  movement  has  recently  been 
set  going  in  the  Church,  under  the  administration  of  Presi- 
dent Smith;  namely,  the  betterment  of  the  quorums  of  the 
priesthood.  In  all  the  quorums  weekly  meetings  are  held, 
those  of  the  Seventy  being  held  Sunday  mornings,  at  which 
prescribed  courses  of  study  are  followed.  The  significance 
of  this  movement  cannot  be  over-estimated.  It  means  an 
incomparably  more  efficient  ministry  both  at  home  and 
abroad,  and  justly  places  the  priesthood  as  the  most  impor- 
tant organization  in  the  Church.  Most  probably  in  time  the 
Improvement  Association,  at  least  the  Young  Men's,  will  be 
made  a  place  where  historical,  literary,  and  scientific  sub- 
jects will  be  studied,  instead  of  theology  as  in  the  past. 

A  uxiliary  So cic ties. 

It  was  in  this  period  of  Church  history  that  what  is  known 
among  us  as  the  auxiliary  organizations  had  a  beginning — 
the  Sunday  Schools,  the  Young  Men's  and  Young  Ladies' 
Mutual  Improvement  Associations,  and  the  Primary.     The 


SOME   SCATTERED   FRAGMENTS  519 

Relief  Society,  which  had  its  beginnings  at  Nauvoo,  was  re- 
established in  Utah  during  the  days  of  President  Young. 
We  shall  speak  of  these  separately. 

First  in  order  of  time  is  the  Sunday  school.     It  began  in 
December,   1849,  at  a  private  dwelling  in  the  Fourteenth 
ward,  with  Elder  Richard  Ballantyne  as  superintendent,  who 
afterwards  became  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  schools  of 
Weber  Stake.    Afterwards,  though  slowly,  schools  were  or- 
ganized in  other  wards.    When  it  was  deemed  advisable  to 
have  a  general  head  in  order  that  a  reasonable  degree  of 
uniformity  might  be  established,  President  George  O.  Can- 
non was  made  general  Superintendent.     From  this  neces- 
sity for  uniformity  grew  the  Deseret  Sunday  School  Union. 
At  present  this  is  one  of  the  most  thoroughly  organized, 
the  largest,  and  the  most  useful  of  the  auxiliary  associa- 
tions of  the  Church.    Every  ward  has  a  superintendent  with 
assistants,  other  officers,  and  a  corps  of  teachers,  who  gen- 
erally meet  once  a  week  for  consultation  upon  the  needs  of 
the  school.    There  is,  besides,  a  Stake  Superintendent  with 
other  officers  and  a  board  of  aids,  who  meet  at  stated  times, 
often  once  a  week,  and  who  conduct  union  meetings  every 
month.     Then  there  is  the  general  Superintendent  and  the 
General  Board.    During  the  past  seven  years  (1902-9)  def- 
inite plans  have  been  printed  and  used  in  all  the  classes  of 
the  schools.     The  Juvenile  Instructor  is  the  official  organ 
of  this  association,  founded,  and  edited  till  his  death,  by 
President  George  Q.  Cannon,  and  edited  now  by  President 
Joseph    F.    Smith.      The    general    officers    of   the    Sunday 
schools  are:     General  Superintendency,  Joseph   F.   Smith, 
David  O.    McKay,   and    Stephen   L.   Richards;   Secretary, 
George  D.  Pyper;  Treasurer,,  John  F.  Bennett.    According 
to  the  statistical  report  of  1904,  the  total  enrollment  in  all 
the  Sunday  schools  of  the  Church,  stakes  and  missions,  was 
more  than  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  thousand. 


520  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

Of  the  organization  of  the  Women's  Relief  Society  at 
Nauvoo  we  have  already  spoken.  For  some  time  after  the 
removal  of  the  Church  to  the  West,  it  seems,  nothing  much 
was  done  with  it.  But  in  1851  we  find  some  organizations 
in  Salt  Lake  City  wards.  In  the  year  1855,  President  Young 
urged  the  bishops  generally  to  have  a  society  formed  in  their 
ecclesiastical  districts.  A  sort  of  general  supervision  over 
the  work  was  entrusted  to  Sisters  Eliza  R.  Snow  and  Zina 
D.  Huntington  Young.  This  women's  society  did  a  valuable 
service  to  Utah  at  the  time  the  Cullom  Bill  was  discussed. 
It  was  largely  through  its  influence  as  an  organization  that 
the  woman's  suffrage  law  was  brought  into  existence  in 
Utah  in  1870.  In  later  years  a  president  and  two  counselors 
were  chosen,  with  a  secretary,  a  treasurer,  and  a  board  of 
aids.  The  Woman's  Exponent  is  the  organ  of  the  society, 
Lulu  Green  Richards  being  the  first  editor  and  Emmeline 

B.  Wells  its  second;  the  latter  is  still  editor.  The  Relief 
Society  continues  along  the  lines  of  duty  assigned  it  by  its 
organizer,  Joseph  the  Prophet — namely,  to  administer  to 
the  needy  and  suffering  among  the  Saints.  In  this  labor  of 
love  thousands  of  dollars,  contributed  by  the  members  are 
spent  annually  in  this  noble  direction.  The  officers  are: 
President,  Bathsheba  W.  Smith ;  counselors,  Anne  Taylor 
Hyde  and  Ida  Smoot  Dusenberry ;  secretary,  Emmeline  B. 
Wells ;  treasurer,  Clarissa  S.  Williams. 

The  Young  Men's  Mutual  Improvement  Association  be- 
gan its  useful  career  in  President  Young's  days.  The  Twen- 
tieth Ward  Institute  was  really  the  first  of  these  institu- 
tions, and  existed  before  there  was  any  regular  organiza- 
tion of  Improvement  Associations.  It  had  among  its  officers 
such  well-known  brethren  as  John  Nicholson  (its  first  pres- 
ident), Karl  G.  Maeser,  William  C.  Dunbar,  James  Sharp. 

C.  W.  Stayner,  George  M.  Ottinger,  C.  R.  Savage,  and 
George  Reynolds.     It  was  distinctively  a  young  men's  Im- 


SOME  SCATTERED   FRAGMENTS  521 

provement  Association  carried  on  along  the  lines  that  pre- 
vailed for  many  years.     Later,  in   1875,   President  Young 
appointed  Junius  F.  Wells  to  effect  an  organization  of  what 
is  now  the  Y.  M.  M.  I.  A.  proper.    The  first  association  was 
formed  in  the  Thirteenth  ward.     In  the  same  year  John 
Henry  Smith,  Milton  H.  Hardy,  and  B.  Morris  Young  were 
called  on  a  special  mission  to  the  various  settlements  of  the 
Saints  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  associations.    As  a  re- 
sult of  the  labors  of  the  last  two  of  these  brethren— Elder 
Smith  having  in  the  meantime  been  appointed  to  the  bishop- 
ric of  the  Seventeenth  Ward — fifty-seven  societies  had  been 
effected  by  April,  1876,  with  a  membership  of  about  twelve 
hundred.    In  December  of  this  year  a  central  committee  was 
formed:    Junius  F.  Wells,  president;  Milton  H.  Hardy  and 
Rodney   C.   Badger,  counselors;   John   Nicholson,  Richard 
W.  Young,  and  George  F.  Gibbs,  secretaries;  and  Mathoni 
W.  Pratt,  treasurer.     In  1878  a  special  effort  was  made  to 
increase  the  number  of  organizations  and  also  to  establish 
libraries  and  cabinets.     The  Contributor,  a  monthly  maga- 
zine, was  begun  as  the  organ  of  the  Associations,  Junius  F. 
Wells  being  the  editor.    After  seventeen  volumes  it  was  sus- 
pended, only  to  be  succeeded,  however,  four  years  later  by 
the  present  organ,  the  Era,  which  is  now  edited  by  President 
Joseph  F.  Smith  and  Edward  H.  Anderson,  though  its  first 
editor  was  B.  H.  Roberts.     Regular  courses  of  study  were 
prescribed,  which  for  a  number  of  years  now  have  been  pub- 
lished in  the  form  of  manuals  for  the  older  and  the  younger 
members  separately.  Meanwhile,  the  central  committee  grew 
into  the  present  superintendency  with  a  board  of  aids.    The 
general  officers  are  as  follows:     Joseph  F.  Smith,  general 
superintendent ;  Heber  J.  Grant,  and  B.  H.  Roberts ;  Alpha 
J.  Higgs,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

Next  came  the  Young  Ladies'  Mutual  Improvement  As- 
sociation.   In  the  winter  of  1869,  President  Young  called  to- 


522  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMONISM 

gether  his  wives  and  daughters  at  his  home  in  the  Lion 
House  and  gave  them  instructions  in  "economy  and  health- 
ful living,  deprecating  the  extravagance  and  vanity  that 
were  becoming  prevalent  in  the  community."  He  gave  them 
this  salutary  advice :  "Your  time  is  all  the  capital  that  God 
has  given  you,  and  if  you  waste  that,  you  are  bankrupt  in- 
deed." Thence  sprang  what  was  known  as  the  Retrench- 
ment Society,  the  duty  to  supervise  which  was  imposed  upon 
Mrs.  M.  Isabella  Home.  And  out  of  this  society  grew  the 
present  Young  Ladies'  Association.  It  is  fashioned  after 
its  complement  organization,  considered  in  the  preceding 
paragraph.  Its  organ  is  the  Young  Woman's  Journal,  a 
monthly  periodical  begun  in  1889,  and  edited  by  the  General 
Board.  The  present  general  officers  are  as  follows :  Presi- 
dent, Martha  Home  Tingey ;  counselors,  Ruth  May  Fox 
and  Mae  Taylor  Nystrom ;  secretary,  Ann  M.  Cannon ;  as- 
sistant secretary,  Agnes  Campbell ;  treasurer,  Alice  K. 
Smith. 

The  Primary  Association  came  into  existence  in  1878. 
The  first  idea  of  such  an  organization  seems  to  have  oc- 
curred to  Sister  Aurelia  S.  Rogers,  a  daughter  of  Orson 
Spencer;  and  the  first  association  was  organized  at  Farm- 
ington  in  August  of  that  year.  It  was  not  till  two  years 
later  that  stake  organizations  began  to  be  effected.  But 
since  then  the  work  has  extended  into  every  part  of  the 
Church,  and  is  now  one  of  the  substantial  aids  in  educating 
the  children.  For  the  past  few  years  a  paper — The  Chil- 
dren's Friend — has  been  published  as  a  means  of  unifying 
the  work  of  the  Association,  since  its  columns  are  devoted 
mainly  to  the  lessons  to  be  presented.  The  general  officers, 
as  at  present  constituted,  are:  President,  Louie  B.  Felt; 
counselors,  May  Anderson  and  Clara  W.  Beebe. 


SOME   SCATTERED   FRAGMENTS  523 

Education. 

Closely  associated  with  these  early  efforts  to  train  the  young 
people  of  the  Church  is  to  be  considered  the  general  system 
of  denominational  schools  among  the  Latter-day  Saints. 

On  several  occasions,  during  the  progress  of  our  narra- 
tive, we  have  called  attention  to  some  of  the  basic  principles 
of  education  held  by  the  Church.  It  is  commonly  thought 
by  non-"Mormons"  that  the  "Mormons"  not  only  do  not 
value  education  very  highly,  but  that  "Mormonism"  rests 
upon  ignorance.  This,  however,  is  an  agregious  error.  No 
people  can  put  a  higher  estimate  upon  education  than  the 
Latter-day  Saints.  /\.ccording  to  them,  "the  glory  of  God 
is  intelligence,"  and  "a  man  is  saved  no  faster  than  he  gains 
knowledge."  And  their  practice  has  always  been  in  har- 
mony with  this  theory,  though  the  constant  persecution  to 
which  they  have  been  subject  has  prevented  the  latter  from 
keeping  pace  with  the  former.  At  the  schools  of  the  proph- 
ets, which  were  organized  in  Ohio,  Missouri,  Illinois,  and 
Utah,  a  number  of  branches  of  -learning  were  taught  by  the 
best  teachers  that  could  be  employed.  There  was  a  high 
school  established  at  Kirtland',  and  all  arrangements  were 
made  for  founding  a  university  at  Nauvoo.  Even  the  awk- 
ward circumstances  in  which  the  Saints  found  themselves 
at  their  temporary  settlements  in  the  wilderness,  were  not 
permitted  to  interfere  with  the  establishment  of  schools  for 
their  children.  Doubtless,  these  were  crude ;  but  they  were 
the  best  to  be  had.  Indeed,  it  is  extremely  doubtful  whether 
any  other  people — the  detractors  of  the  Saints,  for  instance 
— so  situated  would  have  turned  their  thoughts  toward 
education,  unless  it  were  to  bemoan  the  absence  of  schools. 
Three  months  had  not  elapsed  since  the  arrival  of  the  pio- 
neers in  Salt  Lake  valley,  before  a  school  was  opened  at 
the  "Old  Fort."  The  teacher  was  Miss  Mary  Jane  Dilworth, 
a  voung  girl  of  seventeen,  who  afterwards  became  the  wife 


524  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  MORMON  ISM 

of  President  F.  A.  Harmnond  ai  tfie  San  Juan  stake. 
"Pieces  of  logs  were  used  for  seats,  and  a  small  camp-table 
for  a  desk."  In  February,  1850,  the  University  of  Deseret, 
now  the  University  of  Utah,  was  chartered. 

But  it  is  the  Church  school  system  of  education  that  we 
wish  to  call  attention  to  here.  The  State  schools,  it  is  well 
known,  do  not  permit  religious  instruction.  Hence  it  was 
thought  desirable  to  have  schools  established  in  which  the 
principles  of  the  gospel  might  be  taught  in  connection  with 
other  branches  of  learning.  Accordingly,  the  Brigham 
Young  Academy  at  Provo,  now  the  Brigham  Young  Uni- 
versity, the  Brigham  Young  College  at  Logan,  and  the  Lat- 
ter-day Saints'  College  at  Salt  Lake,  City,  which  has  also 
changed  its  name  to  the  Latter-day  Saints'  University,  were 
established,  the  first  in  1876,  the  second  in  1877,  and  the 
third  in  1886.  In  addition  to  these  three  main  Church 
schools,  many  other  schools  are  now  in  operation.  Most  of 
these,  however,  are  still  doing  grade  work,  some  high  school 
work,  one  college  work,  but  none  university  work  in  the 
sense  in  which  this  term  is  understood  in  educational  circles, 
the  two  "universities"  being  simply  promises  of  what  the 
future  may  bring.  By  means  of  these  institutions  a  vast 
army  of  young  people  are  turned  out  each  year  excellently 
equipped  as  missionaries  for  the  foreign  ministry  and  work- 
ers in  the  ward  and  stake  organizations,  by  reason  of  the 
training,  theological  and  secular,  which  they  receive  here 

Akin  to  this  educational  system,  indeed,  part  of  it,  is 
what  is  known  as  the  Religion  Class.  This  is  a  peculiar  or- 
ganization, brought  into  existence  in  1892  for  the  purpose 
of  supplementing  the  work  of  the  district  schools  by  furnish- 
ing a  class  in  religion.  The  recitation  consists  of  six  steps 
as  follows:  first,  singing;  second,  prayer;  third,  a  memory 
gem,  usually  from  the  Scriptures;  fourth,  a  lesson  on  re- 
ligion, morals,  manners,  or  general  conduct ;  fifth,  testimony- 


SOME  SCATTERED   FRAGMENTS  525 

bearing;  sixth,  singing  and  prayer.  The  key  note  of  the 
work  is,  "Learn  to  do  by  doing."  It  furnishes  distinctively 
religious  rather  than  theological  training.  Like  most  other 
new  organizations,  this  movement  has  met  with  no  little 
opposition  from  those  who  were  ignorant  regarding  its  pur- 
poses and  character,  but  it  is  now  established  in  most  of  the 
stakes  of  Zion  and  in  some  of  the  missions,  where  it  is  doing 
a  worthy  work.  There  are  ward,  stake,  and  general  super- 
intendents with  other  officers  and  aids.  The  General  Super- 
intendency  consists  of  Anthon  H.  Lund,  Rudger  Clawson, 
and  Hyrum  M.  Smith. 

Utah  Temples. 

The  same  interest  has  been  manifested  in  the  Church  during 
the  last  sixty  years  in  the  salvation  of  the  dead,  that  charac- 
terized it  before  the  martyrdom  of  the  Prophet  Joseph. 
Hence  temple-building  has  continued  to  be  an  important  sub- 
ject of  thought  by  all  the  Presidents  of  the  Church  since  the 
settlement  of  Utah. 

The  first  temple  in  this  western  country  was  built  at  St. 
George.  The  site  was  dedicated  November  9th,  1871, 
ground  being  broken  on  the  same  day.  It  measures  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-one  feet  in  length  by  ninety-three  feet  in 
width.  The  height  to  the  top  of  the  parapet  is  eighty-four 
feet.  The  east  tower  is  surmounted  with  an  octagonal  dome 
rising  from  a  square  base.  The  cost  is  estimated  to  have 
been  eight  hundred  thousand  dollars.  It  was  dedicated  April 
5th,  1877,  the  year  of  President  Young's  death.  This  noble 
structure  stands  a  solemn  monument  of  industry  and  faith, 
overlooking  a  dreary  stretch  of  country. 

In  May,  1877,  had  been  dedicated  another  temple  site  on 
the  bench  east  of  Logan  City,  in  Cache  valley.  This  building 
is  one  hundred  and  seventy-one  feet  long  and  ninety-five 
feet   wide,   the   highest  tower — the   eastern — standing   one 


526  ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 

hundred  and  fifty-five  feet.  It  is  a  beautiful  and  imposing 
structure,  overlooking  almost  the  whole  of  Cache  valley. 
The  dedicatory  services  took  place  in  May,  1884. 

It  was  in  President  Young's  days,  also  that  the  temple 
site  at  Manti  was  dedicated,  the  event  occurring  in  April, 
1877,  though  the  corner  stones  were  not  laid  till  two  years 
later.  The  size  of  the  building  is :  length,  one  hundred  and 
seventy-two  feet,  width  ninety-five  feet.  The  east  tower  rises 
from  the  ground  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine  feet.  "The 
site  of  the  building  is  unique,  being  flanked  on  two  sides  with 
terraces.  The  foundation  is  sixty-three  feet  above  the  road 
running  along  the  base  of  the  hill."  The  total  cost  is  esti- 
mated at  one  million  dollars.  It  was  dedicated  May  21st, 
1888. 

The  first  temple  contemplated  in  the  West,  however,  the 
last  one  finished,  and  the  grandest  of  the  six  structures 
erected  by  the  Saints  in  this  dispensation  is  the  Salt  Lake 
Temple.  A  few  days  after  the  arrival  of  the  pioneer  com- 
pany in  the  valley  of  Salt  Lake,  President  Young  and  a  num- 
ber of  the  brethren  went  out  to  where  the  temple  now  stands. 
The  President,  striking  his  cane  into  the  earth,  said,  "Here 
will  be  the  temple  of  our  God."  And  so  it  was ;  on  that  spot 
stands  one  of  the  noblest  structures  in  America,  and  one  of 
the  most  famous  in  the  world.  Its  dimensions  are :  length, 
one  hundred  and  eighty-six  feet ;  width,  ninety-nine ;  the 
central  eastern  tower  is  two  hundred  and  twenty-two  feet 
high.  The  total  cost  is  about  four  million  dollars.  The 
dedication  occurred  in  April,  1893,  forty  years  after  it  was 
begun.  It  is  seldom  among  men  that  such  imposing  cere- 
monies are  witnessed  as  took  place  on  this  occasion.  Eighty- 
five  thousand  people,  including  fifteen  thousand  Sunday 
school  children,  attended  the  dedicatory  services,  which  were 
repeated  day  after  day  till  all  who  were  eligible  and  who 
could  attend  had  enjoyed  this  inestimable  privilege. 


SOME  SCATTERED  FRAGMENTS  527 

At  the  services  of  dedication,  many  of  the  Saints  received 
manifestations  of  the  divine  power  and  glory.  Some  who 
were  sick  were  instanlv  healed,  and  angels  were  seen  by 
others.  Moreover,  since  these  memorable  ceremonies,  God 
has  showered  his  blessings  upon  the  people  in  a  very  re- 
markable manner. 

Growth  of  the  Church. 

It  is  impossible  to  ascertain  definitely  the  whole  membership 
of  the  Church  at  the  death  of  Joseph  Smith  the  Prophet,  in 
1844,  at  the  end  of  the  first  fourteen  years  of  its  existence ; 
but  most  probably  fifty  thousand  would  be  a  large  enough 
figure.  Now,  however,  the  membership  of  the  Church  is 
upwards  of  four  hundred  thousand.  So  that  "Mormon- 
ism"  has  been  making  rapid  headway  during  the  last 
sixty-five  years,  notwithstanding  numerous  adverse  condi- 
tion's. 

Since  the  death  of  the  Prophet  Joseph,  the  work  at  home 
and  abroad  has  been  more  thoroughly  organized.  The  num- 
ber of  stakes  has  increased  to  sixty,  scattered  over  a  great 
territory.  Most  of  them  are  in  Utah,  but  some  are  in 
Idaho,  Arizona,  Colorado,  Wyoming,  Oregon,  Mexico, 
and  Canada.  In  these  there  are  more  than  seven  hun- 
dred wards.  Over  each  stake  there  is  a  president  with  two 
counselors,  and  over  each  ward  a  bishop  with  two  counselors. 
Besides,  the  parts  of  the  world  not  included  in  what  is  gen- 
erally termed  Zion,  are  as  effectively  organized.  There  are 
twenty-four  "Missions,"  each  with  a  president,  as  follows: 
The  Eastern  States,  the  Southern  States,  the  Northern 
States,  Colorado,  the  Central  States,  the  Northwestern 
States,  California,  the  Mexican,  the  British,  the  German  and 
Swiss,  the  Swedish,  the  Scandinavian,  including  only  Nor- 
way and  Denmark,  the  Netherlands,  the  Hindoostan,  the 
Turkish,  the  Japanese,  the  Australian,  the  South  African, 


523  ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS  OF    MORMON  ISM 

the  Iceland,  the  Society  Islands,  the  Samoan,  the  Sandwich 
Islands.  These  are  all  subdivided  into  "conferences"  and 
the  conferences  again  into  "branches."  And  converts  are 
made  every  year  in  all  of  these  missions  by  the  hundreds  of 
missionaries  sent  out  annually  from  the  various  established 
Stakes  of  Zion. 

"Mormonism"  is,  therefore,  more  firmly  established  than 
ever  and  has  brighter  prospects  before  it  than  at  any  pre- 
vious time  in  its  history,  notwithstanding  the  opposition  that 
is  at  this  moment  (1905)  being  brought  to  bear  against  it. 
The  confidence  of  the  Saints  in  their  leaders,  ward,  stake,  and 
general,  it  is  safe  to  say,  has  never  been  stronger.  Probably 
it  would  not  be  far  from  the  truth  to  say  that  President 
Joseph  F.  Smith,  so  far  as  his  office  in  the  Church  is  con- 
cerned, wields  a  greater  influence  than  any  of  his  predeces- 
sors. But  there  is  no  "menace"  in  "Mormonism,"  nothing 
inimical  to  the  constitution  of  our  great  country.  The  people 
throughout  the  Church  repose  trust  in  their  leaders  because 
these  leaders  have  never  required  anything  of  them  that  is 
not  consonant  with  reason  and  perfect  liberty,  or  that  is  in 
conflict  with  the  highest  laws  of  virtue  and  truth ;  nor  could 
they,  and  retain  this  trust.  The  United  States  and  the 
world,  therefore,  need  have  no  apprehensions  or  fear  re- 
specting "Mormonism  ;"  for  it  will  always  be  found,  as  it  has 
always  been  found,  on  the  side  of  truth^  freedom,  ^and  the 
purest  morality. 


INDEX 


Aaronic  Priesthood,  restoration 
of,  105-7. 

Abraham,  Book  of,  164,  165. 

Adam-ondi-Ahman,   Mo.,  217-19. 

Anthon,  Prof.  Charles,  account 
of  Harris's  visit,  53-56;  points 
in  controversy  over  Book  of 
Mormon,  56,  57. 

Apostasy,  from  the  Christian 
church,  31,  32;  at  Kirtland 
and  Missouri,  219-23  and  228- 
34. 

Apostles,  first  in  this  dispensa- 
tion, 197-200;  succeed  to  head- 
ship of  Church,  375-82;  names 
of  present,  199. 

Army  of  Zion,  188-91 ;  cholera 
in  camp,  193,  194. 

Atchison,  Gen.  D.  R.,  leads 
troops  against  Saints  in  Mis- 
souri, 257. 

Auxiliary  associations,  518. 

Avery,  Daniel,  kidnapped,  332. 


B 


Boggs,  Gov.,  witnesses  attack  on 
"Mormons,"  174;  issues  exter- 
minating order  against  Saints, 
266. 

Book  of  Mormon,  revealed,  39; 
translated,  50-68;  manner  of 
translating,  68-72;  publication 
of,  66-68;  testimonies  concern- 
ing, 76,  77;  John  Fiske's  com- 
ment on,  89,  90;  Hurlburt- 
Howe's  "explanation  of,  90- 
103. 

Booth,  Ezra,  joins  the  Church 
in  Ohio,  161  ;  apostasy  of,  161 ; 
mobs  the  Prophet,  163. 

Boynton,  John,  made  an  apostle, 
198;  leaves  the  Church,  228; 
draws  sword  in  temple,  229. 

Brannan,  C,  emigration  to  Cali- 
fornia, 410. 

Bridger,  Col.  Jas.,  meets  Utah 
pioneers,  441. 

Buchanan,  Pres.  James,  463. 

Buffaloes,  herds  of,  447. 


Babbitt,  A.  W.,  486. 

Bank  at  Kirtland,  226-28. 

Baptism,  first  in  this  dispensa- 
tion, 105 ;  for  the  dead,  309. 

Battalion,  the  Mormon,  430-38. 

Bennett,  John  Cook,  joins  the 
Church,  314;  character  of,  317, 
318;  excommunicated,  317; 
plots  against  the  Prophet,  324. 

Benson,  Apostle  Ezra  T.,  428. 

Bernhisel,  Dr.  J.  M.,  visits  Gov. 
Ford  at  Carthage,  344;  is 
elected  Delegate  to  Congress 
from  Utah,  487. 

Big  Blue,  Mo.,  attack  on,  177. 

Bishop,  first  in  this  dispensa- 
tion,  132. 


Caldwell  county  framed  for  the 
Saints,  214;  war  between  mobs 
and  the  "Mormons"  in,  252-81. 

California,  rush  of  gold-seekers 
for,  456. 

Campbellites,  130. 

Camps,  during  migration,  445. 

Camp,  Zion's,  188. 

Canada,  first  missionary  labors 
in,  237. 

Cannon,  George  Q.,  quoted,  385 
and  483 ;  sent  to  Washington, 
491 ;  Delegate  from  Utah  Ter- 
ritory and  contested  election, 
500;     incarcerated     for     con- 


530 


ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 


science'  sake,  505 ;  made  an 
apostle,  513;  elevated  to  the 
First  Presidency,  515. 

Carlin,  Gov.  of  Illinois,  treat- 
ment of  Joseph  Smith,  312. 

Carrol  county,  Mo.,  "Mormon" 
settlement  in,  257 ;  measures 
against  "Mormons,"  259. 

Carthage,  111.,  murder  of  Joseph 
and  Hyrum  at.  344;  anti-"Mor- 
mon    convention  at,  393. 

Carthage  Grays,  349. 

Church,  organization  of,  107; 
name  110;  removal  to  Ohio, 
124;  growth  of,  527. 

Clark,  General,  address  to  "Mor- 
mons" at  Far  West,  277 . 

Clay  county,  182. 

Colesville,  N.  Y.,  branch  Church 
in,  114;  move  to  Ohio,  126; 
settlement  in  Missouri,  141. 

Commerce,  Illinois,  287. 

Consecration,  law  of,  131. 

Converts,  first  "Mormon"  in 
England,  246. 

Council  Bluffs,  camp  at,  419, 
423. 

Cowdery,  Oliver,  first  meets  the 
prophet,  61 ;  writes  for  Jo- 
seph, 62 ;  sees  the  plates  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  74;  receives 
Aaronic  priesthood,  105 ;  re- 
ceives Melchizedek  priesthood, 
106;  goes  on  a  mission  to  the 
Indians  in  Missouri,  121 ; 
leaves  the  Church,  220. 

Crickets,  visitation   of,  454. 

Cumorah,  hill,  description  of,  43; 
Joseph's  first  visit  to,  44. 


Danites,  organization,  263 ;  al- 
leged connection  of  leaders  of 
the  Church  with,  264. 

Daviess  county,  Mo.,  riot  at 
Gallatin,  253;  civil  war  in,  262. 

Davidson,  Mrs.  (wife  of  Solo- 
mon Spaulding),  gives  MS.  to 
Hurlburt,  92. 

Deseret,  state  of,  485. 


DeWitt,   Mo.,   siege  of  bv  mob, 

257. 
Disciples    of    Christ     (Campbel- 

lites),  the  teachings  of,  130. 
Douglas,    Stephen    A.,    presides 

at   Joseph    Smith's   trial,   313; 

utters    invectives    against 

Saints,  468. 
Dunklin,   Governor  of  Missouri, 

statement  to,  176;  character  of, 

281. 


Edmonds-Tucker  Act,  502. 
Education,  123. 

Emigration  fund,  Perpetual,  443. 
English  mission,  opening  of,  242; 
subsequent  labors  in,  295-304. 
Enoch,  order  of,  131. 
Evening  and  Morning  Star,  146. 
Expositor,  Nauvoo,  340. 


Fairchild,  Pres.  J.  H.,  discovers 
the  Spaulding  MS.,  100;  com- 
ment on  the  MS.,  101. 

Far  West,  Mo.,  217. 

Fayette,  N.  Y.,  Church  organ- 
ized at,  107. 

Fiske,  John,  on  the  origin  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  89. 

First  vision,  Joseph  Smith's,  16; 
significance  of,  21-36. 

Ford,  Gov.  T.,  visit  to  Carth- 
age, 344;  comments  on  perfidy 
of  constable  sent  to  arrest  Jo- 
seph, 345 ;  writes  to  the  Saints 
about  the  murder  of  Joseph 
and  Hyrum  Smith,  391. 

Fordham,  Elijah,  healed  by 
Prophet,  288. 


Gallatin,   Mo.,  riot  at,  253. 

Garden  Grove  camp,  420. 

Gilbert,  Sidney,  merchant  at 
Kirtland,  126;  visit  by  mob, 
175  ;  dies  in  Zion's  camp,  193. 


INDEX 


531 


Grant,  J.  M.,  preaches  the  Ref- 
ormation, 460;  counselor  to 
Pres.   Young,  513. 

Grant,  Heber  J.,  made  an  apos- 
tle. 515. 

Grounds  of  belief  in  the  testi- 
monies of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon  witnesses,   78. 


H 


Hale,  Emma,  marriage  to  Jo- 
seph Smith,  48. 

Hancock  county.  111.,  condition 
of  in  1839,  285;  anti-"Mor- 
mon"  sentiment  in,  391. 

Handcart   company,   443. 

Harmony,  Susquehanna  county, 
Pa.,  Joseph's  first  visit  to, 
47;  translation  of  plates  at, 
52-65. 

Harris,  Martin,  Joseph  Smith's 
neighbor,  52;  visit  to  Prof. 
Anthon,  53;'  assistant  trans- 
lator, 58;  loses  Book  of  Mor- 
mon MS.,  59;  views  the  Ne- 
phite  plates,  75 ;  testimony, 
76;   in   first  high  council,   195. 

Hart,  Chas.  H.,  in  First  Coun- 
cil of  Seventy,  518. 

High  council,  first,  195;  nature 
of,  196. 

Hooper,  W.  H.,  gees  to  Wash- 
ington,  491. 

Hyde,  Orson,  is  made  an  apos- 
tle, 198;  signs  statement 
against  the  Prophet,  263 ; 
goes  to   Palestine,  294. 


I 


Illinois,  why  "Mormons"  were 
welcomed,  285 ;  purchase  of 
land,  by  Saints,  287 ;  anti- 
"Mormon"  feeling  revives, 
331  ;  expulsion  of  Saints  from, 
390. 

Independence,  Mo.,  visit  of 
missionaries  to,  135  ;  first  set- 
tlement   of    by     Saints,     145 ; 


printing  press  established  at, 
146 ;  treatment  received  by 
Saints  at,   173,  177. 

Indians,  origin  of,  86;  treat- 
ment of  by  average  white 
and  by  "Mormons,"  425. 

Interval  between  first  and  sec- 
ond   visions,   37;    another,   47. 

Irrigation,   first   in   Utah,   452. 

Ivins,  A.  W.,  518. 


Jackson  county,  Mo.,  first  visit- 
ed by  "Mormons,"  135;  de- 
scription of,  142;  significance 
to  "Mormon"  people,  139; 
expulsion  of  Saints  from,  177. 

Jack  Mormons,  meaning.  493. 

John  the  Baptist,  appears  to 
Joseph  Smith  and  Oliver 
Cowdery,    104. 

Johnston's  army,  463. 


K 


Kane,  Col.  T.  L.,  description 
of  Nauvoo  after  expulsion  of 
Saints,  418;  mediation  in 
"Utah  war,"  469. 

Kanesville,  425. 

Kimball,  H.  C,  becomes  an 
apostle,  198;  mission  to  Eng- 
land, 242,  299;  predicts  plen- 
ty, 455. 

Kirtland,  first  missionaries  to, 
121;  branch  established.  123; 
headquarters  of  Church 
moved  to,  125 ;  description  of. 
129;  preparatory  work  of 
Disciples  at,  130;  temple 
built,  202;  bank  established, 
226;  apostasy,  228;  abandon- 
ment of  by  Saints,  234. 

Kirtland    Safety    Society,   226. 

Knight,  Joseph,  employs  Jo- 
seph Smith,  39;  takes  pro- 
visions to  translators,  63. 

Knight,  Newel,  first  miracle, 
112. 


532 


ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF   MORMONISM 


Laramie,  Fort,  Utah  pioneers 
at,  440. 

Latter-day  Saints,  why  so 
called,  110. 

Law,  William,  second  counsel- 
lor to  the  Prophet,  337;  plots 
against  Joseph,  337. 

Legion,  Nauvoo,  purpose  of, 
290;  number  in  1844.  291;  pa- 
rade and  sham  battle,  315. 

Liberty,  Mo.,  Mormon  prison- 
ers in,  271. 

Lyman,  Amasa,  ordained  an 
apostle,  386,  428. 

Lyman,  Francis   M.,   198,  515. 


M 


Macks,  the,  general  character 
of,  8. 

"Manuscript  Found,"  history  of 
and  alleged  connection  with 
Book  of  Mormon,  90-103. 

Manuscript,  lost  by  Martin 
Harris,  58. 

McKay,  D.  O.,  518. 

McMurrin,  J.  W.,  one  of  the 
council    of    Seventy,    201,   516. 

Marriage,  celestial,  origin  of, 
473;  meaning,  477;  "Mormon" 
ideas  concerning,  478;  motive 
for  plural  marriage  in  "Mor- 
mons," 479;  laws  against  plu- 
ral marriage,  481 ;  Woodruff 
manifesto   concerning,  484. 

Marsh,  T.  B.,  leads  company 
from  New  York  to  Ohio,  126; 
made  an  apostle,  198;  makes 
affidavit  against  the  Prophet, 
263. 

Melchizedek  priesthood  re- 
stored, 105. 

Migration  to  Utah,  purpose  and 
origin  of,  405 ;  from  Nauvoo 
to  Council  Bluffs,  409;  organ- 
ization of,  411;  hardships, 
413;  the  happier  side  of.  415; 
of  the  "remnants,"  *  417;  of 
the  pioneer  company,   139;   of 


later  companies,  442;  char- 
acteristics of,  445. 

Millennial  Star  established, 
304. 

Miracle,  the  first,  112. 

Mission,  the  first  to  Canada, 
237 ;  the  first  to  England,  242 ; 
the  second  to  England,  295- 
304;  to  the  Indians,   121,   135. 

Missionaries  to  the  Lamanites, 
121,  135. 

Missionary  system  of  the 
Saints,  335. 

Missouri,  at  the  time  of  "Mor- 
mon" arrival,  142;  Jackson 
county  troubles,  166-81 ;  ex- 
pulsion from,  253-83. 

Morgan,  John,  member  of  first 
council,  201,  516. 

"Mormon"    (name),   110. 

"Mormonism,"  progress  of,  528. 

Moroni,  Angel,  first  appearance 
to  Joseph  Smith,  39;  mes- 
sage, 40;  other  visitations  of 
to  the  Prophet,  42,  45,  48,  49, 
60,  65,  66,  69,  74. 

Mountain  Meadows  Massacre, 
492. 

Mount  Pisgah,  camp  at,  421. 

Murray,  E.  H.,  deceptions  of 
to   Pres.   Cleveland,  495. 


N 


Nauvoo,  Mormon  settlement. 
284 ;  conditions  at  the  time 
of  settlement  in,  287 ;  growth 
of,  289;  charter  for,  290;  le- 
gion, 290;  salvation  for  the 
dead  at,  306;  parade  of  legion 
at,  315;  trial  of  Joseph  at, 
328;  politics  at,  330;  relig- 
ious difficulties  in,  336;  secret 
conspiracy  against  Joseph, 
337 ;  last  days  of,  289 ;  charges 
against.  390;  expulsion  of 
Saints  from,  394;  after  de- 
parture of  "Mormons"  from, 
402. 

Nephites,   origin  of,  86. 


INDEX 


533 


New     Jerusalem,     promise     of, 

121,  138. 
New    York,    conditions    in    1820, 

5-8. 
New  York  Saints,  126,  410. 

O 

Ohio,  "Mormons"  move  to,  124. 

P 

Page,  Hyrum,  witness  to  the 
Book   of   Mormon,  77. 

Page,  John  E.,  apostle,  198. 

Partridge,  Edward,  first  bish- 
op, 132;  in  Missouri,  141; 
tarred,    173. 

Patriarchs,  Joseph  Smith.  Sr., 
285 ;  Hyrum  Smith.  292 ;  Wm. 
Smith,  385 ;  John  Smith,  un- 
cle of  the  Prophet,  459,  514; 
John  Smith,  son  of  Hyrum, 
415. 

Patten,  D.  W.,  apostle,  198; 
martyred,  260. 

Penrose,  C.  W.,  apostle,  200, 
518. 

Perpetual  Emigration  Fund, 
443. 

Peterson,  Ziba,  Lamanite  mis- 
sionary,  121,   135. 

Phelps,  W.  W.,  in  Missouri, 
141 ;  family  expelled  by  mob, 
173 ;  agreement  signed  by, 
175;  excommunicated,  220;  re- 
turns, 220. 

Pioneers  to  Utah,  439. 

Plates,  Book  of  Mormon,  re- 
vealed to  Joseph  Smith,  39; 
first  seen  by  the  Prophet,  44; 
obtained,  49;  difficulties  in 
preserving,  51  ;  seen  by  Mrs. 
Whitmer,  66;  shown  to  elev- 
en witnesses,  73 ;  testimony 
of  witnesses  concerning,  76, 
77 ;  size  of,  68 ;  disposition  of 
when  translated,  69. 

Polygamy.  See  celestial  mar- 
riage. 

Pratt,   Orson,   made   an  apostle, 


200;  in  Canada,  238;  mis- 
sion to  England,  298;  at 
Nauvoo,  374;  enters  Sail 
Lake  Valley,  441  ;  sermon 
announcing  plural  marriage, 
473. 

Pratt,  P.  P.,  a  missionary  to 
the  Indians,  121,  135;  made 
an  apostle,  198;  Canadian 
mission,  237-42;  imprisoned 
in  Liberty  jail,  271 ;  mission 
to  England,  298 ;  migration 
west,  421. 

Presidency,  First,  succession 
in,  378. 


Q 


Quails,  visitation  of,  419. 

Quincy,  111.,  arrival  of  "Mor- 
mons" at,  284 ;  why  received 
by  non-"Mormons,"  285 ; 
peace  meeting  at.  392. 

Quincy,  Josiah.  views  on  Jo- 
seph Smith,  357,  362,  369. 

Quorum  of  apostles,  organized, 
198;  rank.  379;  of  seven- 
tv  organized,  198;  standing, 
379. 


Resurrection,  vision  concern- 
ing,  160. 

Reynolds,  George,  in  first 
council  of  seventy,  201 ;  con- 
viction of  polygamy,  483. 

Rich,  C.  C,  an  apostle,  459. 

Richards,  Geo.  F.,  an  apostle, 
518. 

Richards,  F.  D.,  one  of  the 
Twelve,  459. 

Richards.  Willard,  mission  to 
England,  242;  made  an  apos- 
tle, 292;  in  Carthage,  348;  in 
First  Presidency,  428;  first 
editor   of   Deseret    News,   460. 

Ridgon,  Sidney,  accepts  "Mor- 
monism,"  122;  visits  the 
Prophet,  124;  alleged  con- 
nection   with    Book    of    Mor- 


534 


ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMON  ISM 


mon,  94-100;  in  the  first  pres- 
idency, 160;  mobbed,  161;  de- 
livers Fourth  of  July  oration, 
224;  flees  from  Kirtland. 
230;  is  taken  prisoner,  269; 
corresponds  with  traitor  Ben- 
nett, 324;  is  nominated  vice- 
President  of  the  U.  S.,  334; 
aspires  to  the  presidency  of 
the  Church,  373 ;  excommuni- 
cated,  385. 

Roberts,  B.  H.,  on  name  of 
Seventies,  201 ;  name  of  the 
Church,  110;  comment  on 
Disciples,  130;  comment  on 
seventies,  201 ;  one  of  the 
first  council  of  seventy,  201, 
515;  elected  to  Congress,  498. 

Rockwell,'  O.  P.,  alleged  assas- 
sination of*  Gov.  Boggs,  318; 
faithfulness   to   Joseph,   323. 


Salt  Lake  City,  laid  out,  452. 

School  of  the  Prophets,  in  Mis- 
souri, 146. 

Scriptures,  Inspired  Revision 
of,  why  undertaken,  150;  not 
a  translation,  154;  when  be- 
gun and  finished,  154;  why 
never  published  by  the 
Saints,  155 ;  difference  be- 
tween this  and  the  King 
James  version,  156-8;  rev- 
elations and  visions  which  it 
occasioned,   158. 

Seventies,     first     quorum,     200 
number      of      quorums,      200 
rank  of,  201;    duties   of,   201 
advantages     of     the     number, 
202. 

Smith,  Asael,  prediction  con- 
cerning Joseph,    10. 

Smith,  Emma,  married  to  Jo- 
seph, Jr.,  48. 

Smith  family,  origin  and  his- 
tory of,  9. 

Smith,  Geo.  A.,  mission  to 
England,  300;  counselor  in 
the  First   Presidency,  514. 


Smith,  George  Albert,  apostle, 
518. 

Smith,  Hyrum,  part  in  publica- 
tion of  Book  of  Mormon,  67; 
testimony  regarding  the 
plates,  77;  baptism  of,  108; 
appeal  for  Sidney  Rigdon, 
374;    martyrdom,    351. 

Smith,  Hyrum  M.,  an  apostle. 
198,   518. 

Smith,  Joseph,  Jr.,  ancestry, 
8-14;  birth  and  early  years, 
14;  receives  first  vision,  16; 
reflections  concerning  oppo- 
sition, 20;  effect  of  the  first 
vision  on,  21-20;  visitation  of 
Moroni,  39;  relates  vision  to 
his  father,  42;  first  visit 
to  Cumorah,  42;  in  employ 
of  Josiah  Stoal,  47 ;  is  mar- 
ried, 48;  obtains  the  plates, 
51  ;  is  aided  financially  by 
Martin  Harris,  52;  moves  to 
Harmony,  52;  dictates  trans- 
lation to  Harris,  58-61 ;  man- 
uscript lost,  59;  dictates 
Book  of  Mormon  to  Oliver 
Cowdery,  61-63 ;  goes  to  Fay- 
ette, 64;  publishes  Nephite 
Record,  67;  shows  plates  to 
witnesses,  77;  comment  on 
Book  of  Mormon,  88;  re- 
ceives Aaronic  priesthood, 
104;  receives  Melchizedek 
priesthood,  105 ;  organizes 
Church,  107;  administers  to 
Newel  Knight,  112;  arrest 
and  trial  in  Broom  county, 
114;  holds  conferences,  119; 
goes  to  Ohio,  125 ;  establish- 
es United  Order,  131  ;  goes 
to  Missouri.  140;  lays  first 
log  at  Kaw  township,  145; 
dedicates  temple-site,  145 ;  re- 
vision of  the  Bible,  154;  re- 
ceives the  great  vision,  160; 
is  mobbed  at  Hiram,  160; 
makes  second  visit  to  Mis- 
souri, 163;  translates  Writ- 
ings of  Abraham,  164;  leads 
Zion's    camp,     188;    organizes 


INDEX 


535 


fir*t  high  council,  195 ;  cre- 
ates first  quorum  of  apostles, 
197;  organizes  first  quorum 
of  seventy,  200 ;  takes  part  in 
wilding  and  dedicating  Kirt- 
land  temple,  202;  receives 
visions  of  Moses,  Elijah,  and 
others,  207;  forms  Kirtland 
bank,  226;  is  attacked  by 
former  brethren,  228;  is  de- 
fended by  B.  Young  and 
J.  Taylor,  231;  flees  to  Mis- 
souri, 234;  preaches  in  Can- 
ada, 238;  sends  H.  C.  Kim- 
ball and  others  to  England, 
242 ;  leads  armed  force  into 
Daviess  county,  254;  visits 
Saints  at  De  Witt,  259;  is 
betrayed  into  hands  of  mob 
force,  269;  is  imprisoned  in 
Liberty  jail,  273;  escapes 
from  confinement,  275 ;  visits 
Washington,  D.  C,  279;  lo- 
cates Commerce,  287 ;  partici- 
pates in  miraculous  healing, 
288;  organizes  Relief  Soci- 
ety, 292;  is  arrested  as  "fu- 
gitive from  justice,"  312; 
attempt  to  murder  him,  315 ; 
is  arrested  for  alleged  at- 
tempt on  Boggs's  life,  318;  is 
arrested  and  maltreated  at 
Dixon,  111.,  324;  political  dif- 
ficulties, 330;  is  candidate 
for  President,  333 ;  issues 
"Views,"  334;  discovers  trai- 
tors at  Nauvoo,  336;  Nauvoo 
Expositor,  340;  last  address 
at  Nauvoo,  343;  attempts  to 
go  West,  345  ;  goes  to  Carth- 
age, 346;  is  martyred,  351; 
character  of,  355-370. 

Smith,  Joseph,  St.,  sketch,  11; 
testimony  regarding  plates, 
77;  patriarch,  285;  death,  285. 

Smith,  Jos.  F.,  apostle,  514; 
counselor  to  Pres.  Tavlor, 
515;  to  Pres.  Woodruff,  516; 
to  Pres.  Snow,  517;  becomes 
President,  517;  character  and 
influence,   528. 


Smith,  Lucy,  family,  10;  goes 
to  Kirtland,  126. 

Smith,  John  Henry,  apostle, 
198,  515. 

Smith,  John  (uncle  of  the 
Prophet),  459,   514. 

Smith,  John  (son  of  Hyrum), 
415. 

Smith,  Samuel  H.,  testimony  of, 
77. 

Smith,  Wm.,  is  made  apostle, 
198;  is  attacked  by  Parish, 
229 ;  excommunication,  385. 

Smoot,  Reed,  apostle,  200; 
opposition  to,  499. 

Snow,  Eliza  R,  description  of 
Kirtland  temple,  204;  is  mar- 
ried to  Joseph   Smith,  474. 

Snow,   Erastus,   apostle,   459. 

Snow,  Lorenzo,  in  England, 
303 ;  presides  over  Mount 
Pisgah  branch,  442;  an  apos- 
tle, 459;  becomes  President, 
517;  character,  517. 

Spaulding,  manuscript,  bor- 
rowed by  D.  P.  Hurlburt, 
90;  alleged  connection  with 
Book  of  Mormon,  93 ;  recov- 
ered, 100;  Pres.  Fairchild's 
comment  on,  101 ;  contents 
of,   101. 

State,    admission    of   Utah,    498. 


Taylor,  John,  converted,  239 ; 
defends  the  Prophet,  232 ;  an 
apostle,  295 ;  goes  to  Eng- 
land, 297 ;  witnesses  the  mar- 
tyrdom of  Prophet,  347;  feel- 
ings after  tragedy,  366;  signs 
letter  to  Saints,  372 ;  goes  on 
mission,  434 ;  succeeds  Pres. 
Young,  515 ;  character,  515. 

Temple,  at  Kirtland,  202;  at 
Nauvoo,  309. 

Temples,   Utah,   525. 

Tennessee  massacre,  495. 

Territorv,    Utah,  487. 

Tithing.  113. 


536 


ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MORMONISM 


Translation     of     the     Book     of 

Mormon,  at  Harmony,  52-65; 

at  Fayette,  66. 
Twelve      apostles,      commission 

to,    198;    at   head   of    Church, 

378,  515. 


U 


Underground,   the   days  of,   500. 

University,  of  Nauvoo,  291 ;  of 
Deseret,  523. 

Utah,  pioneers'  trip  to,  538;  first 
crops  in,  454;  first  "Mormon" 
government,  485 ;  created  a 
territory,  487 ;  admitted  to 
statehood,  489. 

Utah  temples,  525. 


V 


Van  Buren,  Pres.  Martin,  vis- 
ited by  Joseph  Smith,  279; 
the  Prophet's  comment  upon, 
335. 

Vision,  The  first,  16. 

Vision,  of  three  glories,  160. 

Visions  in  the  temple,  207. 

W 

Wells,  D.  H.,  at  Nauvoo,  312; 
becomes  counselor  to  Pres. 
Young,  513. 

Whitmer,  Christian,  testimony 
regarding  the  plates,   77. 

Whitmer,  David,  takes  Prophet 
to  his  home,  64;  sees  the 
plates,  74;  testimony,  76;  ex- 
communication,  221. 

Whitmer,  Jacob,  testimony,  77. 

Whitmer,  John,  testimony,  77; 
in  Missouri,   175. 


Whitmer,  Peter,  Jr.,  testimony, 
77;  missionary  to  Indians, 
121,   135. 

Whitmer,  Peter,  Sr.,  testimony, 
77. 

Whitney,  N.  K.,  first  meets 
Prophet,  125. 

Whitney,  O.  F.,  apostle,  198, 
518. 

Wight,  Lyman,  in  Missouri, 
179;  an  apostle,  292;  excom- 
municated, 459. 

Williams,  F.  G.,  missionary, 
121,   135;   leaves   Church,  228. 

Winter  Quarters,  423. 

Witnesses  to  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, prediction  concerning, 
73 ;  names  of,  73,  83 ;  given 
view  of  the  plates,  74;  testi- 
mony, 76,  77;  testimony  con- 
sidered, 78-85. 

Woodruff,  Wilford,  an  apostle, 
295 ;  mission  to  England,  297, 
303 ;  enters  Salt  Lake  Valley, 
441;  becomes  President,  516; 
character,  516. 


Young,  Brigham,  an  apostle, 
198;  defends  the  Prophet, 
231 ;  leads  Saints  from  Mis- 
souri, 276;  mission  to  Eng- 
land, 299;  president  of 
Twelve  at  Nauvoo,  274; 
sketch  of,  382 ;  leads  migra- 
tion from  Illinois,  394;  be- 
comes President,  428;  pio- 
neer, to  Utah,  440;  death, 
5,14. 

Young,  Seymour  B.,  515. 


Zion,  138. 


Date  Due 

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BP811.E924 

One  hundred  years  of  Mormonism  :  a 

Princeton  Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00036  8433 


